beyond the biggest loser

Freedom for ATX100: The get-fit group conquers "The Freedom Run" at Camp Mabry

Let the race begin
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
Mayor Lee Leffingwell gives ATX100 members support before the race.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
"We Did It" ATX100 completes their first 5K together.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
Joe Bacon finishes "The Freedom Run" along side his wife Michelle.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings

For most of those competing, it had been a long time since their running shoes had crossed the starting line of any race. But on this morning, they were laced up and ready.

On November 19 at Camp Mabry, ATX100 conquered "The Freedom Run," a 5K walk/run that took participants on a tour of the military base. They kicked off appropriately, standing at attention to "The Star Spangled Banner" before the starting gun sounded.

ATX100 is a group of Austinites devoted to personal fitness; each member is working on losing around 100 pounds. RunTex is the push behind the group, along with Texas-based healthy eatery My Fit Foods. Together they have teamed up to teach participants about exercise, eating right and how to make them both work together for weight loss success.

About 15 members from the ATX100 group came out to race at Camp Mabry, mixing in with the rest of the racing crowd. They ran past planes and helicopters and then into the heart of the base, past military tanks. It was a winding course (with a heck of a hill during mile three).

"The Freedom Run" was the first of five 5K races the group will run before they hit their ultimate destination: the Capital 10K run in March. To keep steady during the winter months, the group is planning another 5K run during the holidays.

For one ATX100 runner, this event brought back that racer in her that had been as she put it, "in hibernation."

Group member Joe Bacon came out for the race. For him it was quite a moment; five years ago, Bacon walked the "Turkey Trot" in Austin, and since then he hadn't entered another event. Now, he is also almost halfway to his goal—just a few pounds shy of losing 50 pounds. He completed the race with his wife by his side. The amount of support throughout the group is contagious; as each racer crossed the line you could hear cheers from fellow ATX100 members.

ATX100 is two months into their journey and the average weight loss for each member is over 30 pounds each—those are big results!

If you're interested in the program but have smaller goals, RunTex has also put together an ATX50 (for folks wanting to lose 50 pounds each—registration is still open) and, in January, an ATX20 and ATXKids will kick off.

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it's a lifestyle

Austin is one of the best places in America to be vegan, report says

The Beer Plant/thebeerplant.com

Vegans have made a large mark on Austin's local culinary scene.

Austin's vegan culinary scene has been steadily expanding over the last year, so much so that the Texas capital now ranks as the No. 6 best city in America for those living a plant-based lifestyle.

Austin moved up three spots in WalletHub's latest annual "Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians" study, after previously ranking No. 9 in 2023. The report analyzed 100 U.S. cities based on grocery affordability, vegetarian restaurant diversity, accessibility, and quality, and other vegetarian or vegan lifestyle considerations.

The city had a high affordability ranking with the sixth-lowest cost of groceries for vegetarians out of all 100 cities in the ranking. Laredo (No. 1); Greensboro, North Carolina (No. 2); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (No. 3); San Antonio (No. 4); and Tulsa, Oklahoma (No. 5) were the top five cities with the lowest grocery cost for vegetarians.

Factors that have enhanced Austin's diverse vegan scene throughout the year include a new bakery opening specializing in vegan olive oil cakes, and the addition of non-dairy mozzarella on the menu at all four Home Slice Pizza locations in Texas. But even larger chains are starting to make room at the dining table for vegans and vegetarians, too.

Home Slice vegan pizza It only took 19 years for Home Slice to find the perfect non-dairy cheese. Photo courtesy of Home Slice

"Just look at businesses like McDonald’s and Burger King incorporating Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers into their menus, for example," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "With meat prices rising significantly faster than vegetable prices, too, we may see a lot more people taking a foray into a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle in the near future."

Of course, Austin has plenty of legacy restaurants that focus just on vegan and vegetarian food, although they're subject to the same woes that keep other Austin restaurants on a tightrope between continued success and sudden closings. Bouldin Creek Cafe (with vegan and vegetarian versions of the same menu), Zucchini Kill, and the Beer Plant all have at least seven years under their belts; relative newcomers like the entirely plant-based fine dining restaurant Fabrik and sushi spot Nori also keep things fresh.

Gati vegan ice cream Gati, an East Austin shop specializing in vegan ice cream and vegan and gluten-free baking, offers more than 40 rotating flavors, like these seasonal pumpkin spice scoops.Photo courtesy of Gati

Austin was the only Texas city to make it into the top 10. Elsewhere in Texas, the only other cities to make it in the top 30 were Houston (No. 18), San Antonio (No. 20), and Dallas (No. 30).

The top 10 most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly cities in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Los Angeles, California
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Portland, Oregon
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Seattle, Washington
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 10 – Tampa, Florida

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

wallethub reports rankings vegan vegetarian austin