I wanted to run 1 leg (of 5 legs) of the marathon relay at this event but I did not find enough people to round out the team in time. Plus this location was nearly an hour away from home! About the same time, I started a cross country team with 6th-8th graders from my school and I began to scope out races. ARR offers FREE entry for children under 17 so it seemed like a perfect opportunity! I arranged for Saturday bus transportation and everyone got excited about the race. I did not sign-up for the race because I wanted to cheer on my students so why pay money for a race when I am not running all out.
On this chilly, dark January morning, eight (8) students and I met early at the school and took off in the bus at 6:10 A.M., a little later than planned! It was a little nerve-wracking as we arrived at race start time, seemingly no time to spare. I did not know this area well but it seemed like it was in a residential section and the parking signage was poorly marked. Thankfully one family of a student drove ahead of us and picked up their race bibs! Once we parked the bus and hustled over, Elisa (parent), James (bus driver) and I attached race bibs to front of shirts and looped timing chips through shoelaces. Then we made our way to the start line. The half marathon had already started and the 5K was to start within next 5-10 minutes. James took a few pictures of the team and I quickly checked with the race director to see if I could run along the course to check on my runners. He said I could run the entire course with them if I wanted.
We took off along this narrow course with a gradual incline until the turnaround. It took us about 15 minutes to run off the chill and the students stopped to walk often so I stopped often to walk with them! As we walked, I suggested that they check out the other runners, especially the other kids, notice their form and encouraged them to cheer their fellow runners. That was 1 fun aspect to hear them say, "Great job running" or "Way to Go" to people they had never met. The other thing is how amazed they were at the young runners who were really good and we even overheard a few kids talk about their running goals and past races...too cute! After the turnaround, the team naturally split into 2 groups so I took turns running with the faster group, then slowing down to catch up with the second group and running ahead to get back to first group. At the last stretch, with maybe 0.15 miles to the finish line, I encouraged the faster group to run it in. One of the parents was waiting for us and took pictures as we crossed the finish line. Then I ran back up the hill to meet the second group and run in with them. The sheer excitement at completing the race made it lots of fun to interact with the middle schoolers after the race. We indulged in the FREE snacks and also watched half marathoners finish their race. I ran into Reid, a really fast runner/blogger, after he finished the half marathon and was awaiting his turn in 1 leg of the marathon relay...amazing!
We took the picture below as we waited for race results to be posted. The students started asking about our next race and if we could run longer races.
Joshua: I want to run a 10K next time.
Carlos: Wait, a 10K is like 2 5Ks. I barely made it through the 5K today!
Hahahaha! Great accomplishment and a fun day for all! Next year...running the full marathon relay in 2012!! :D
Motto on back of L.C.K. Dragons T-shirt:IMPROVING-every minute, every second, every student!
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