Frank Vasquez is a Veteran (Marine Corps), Ultra Runner, & Motivational Speaker. On April 23rd & 24th, he will be the first person to run 100 MILES around San Antonio through the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System for Autism.
Frank has partnered with the Autism Community Network, a local non-profit to pull off this amazing feat.
He is a San Antonio native, and his family has lived in the Southside area for generations. He graduated from Harlandale High.
Growing up, Frank always loved exploring our missions & followed the river for miles before any of our beautiful trails existed. It wasn’t until August of 2020 when he started going back to his roots to explore & fish at Mission Espada when he noticed there were concrete trails that stretched up & down the San Antonio River.
He began training for his double marathon utilizing the trail system for long distance runs & fell in love all over again. After his double marathon (52.4 Miles) in April 202, he knew he would be doing a 100 mile run.
While he could have chosen a race like Bandera 100, Rocky Racoon 100, or Tejas Trails 100 which are all great organizations & communities, they all take place in rural areas of Texas.
Run after run on the trail system Frank noticed, compared to other cities, the Greenways don’t get utilized enough yet there are over 80 Miles of completed trails. In Austin TX, San Diego CA, Denver CO, Philadelphia PA, & Boston MA, you see huge communities of roller skaters, runners, bikers, etc utilizing the streets for fitness.
San Antonio has a paved trail, is easily accessible, & provides beautiful scenery for miles. The Trail System cuts through Urban areas & neighborhoods, but any given day/time you find only a handful of people exercising on them. With his run, he not only plans on raising donations for ACN, he would also like to showcase the beauty of the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System.
Frank wants to highlight the Greenway Program goals showing park connectivity, access people have to outdoor recreation from their neighborhoods, and most importantly the habitat conservation SA Parks & Recreations has provided so generations can see the same beautiful trails their parents & grandparents got to enjoy.
Frank says, “Together we can further connect people to the parks, trails, nature, recreation, & resources. I hope to inspire & improve the quality of life for all residents of San Antonio.”
