Run baby run

Dade has been part of the running club at his school for 2 years. They practice twice a week, right before class, and he has always enjoyed it. There are weekend races that they can take part in, as well, and they are on average 1.5 kms. He has always enjoyed it and I have noticed a huge improvement since just last year. His form has improved and he looks refreshed when the race is over. Not worn out, like he did last year.

So when he announced that he wanted to do the Blue Nose Marathon Youth Run this year I was excited. He practiced with his running club and with me, leading up to it, so we were confident that he would do well (which should read: I thought he'd be able to finish it :) It is 4.2 kms long so quite a bit longer than he is used to. It was emphasized that it wasn't a 'race' (it wasn't a timed event) but that the focus would be on completion.

Everything was great until the night before. And the little niggling worries started to pop up. "How many people are going to be there?" Well, I imagine there will be about 500. That's just a little more than are at the weekend races. "What if I can't finish?" Just think of it as going to school and coming home again. You can do it! And if you get tired you can always walk. That seemed to quell his worries and off to sleep he went.

So then it was my turn to worry. "What if he got lost?" There are volunteers all along the route to keep them on track. Ok. Zzzz.

Race Day

Waiting for the bus

We took the bus down early so we could get our bearings before things got underway. We showed Dade where he would meet us after the race, where the bathrooms were (that's always my big concern ;) and where we were going to hang out with his classmates until the race.

Excitement was everywhere! Dade's school met outside near the start line so we had a great view of things as they unfolded.

Starting to line up

When it was time to go to the start line, Dade and his running buddy went off with moms keeping a close watch on them as they went. It wasn't long before they were lost in a sea of kids!

Hmm... where's Dade?

Over 3000 kids participated in the run! Wow! It was great to see that many kids out.

The great finish!

Dade needn't have worried. He finished! He rated the run: "Great!" He did get lost at the end when he couldn't find where to meet in the arena. With that many kids I'm not surprised! The organizers had a Lost Kids section so he ended up there. He recovered more quickly then me...

Before and after. Check out the 'blue nose'!

This was a wonderful event! It was very well organized and the excitement was contagious. Can't wait until next year!