Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 27, 2008 Ron Blancett, a master's student in UTMB's School of Allied Health Sciences, led a field of more than 500 runners and walkers at Saturday's Mardi Gras Beach Run 5K, cruising to an uncontested finish in 17 minutes and 51 seconds. The race was organized by the Galveston YMCA and the UTMB Physical Therapy Class of 2008 to benefit their projects.