Kyler and I arrived at Millersville University an hour before the start of the race. We registered, received our numbers, then went for a little warm-up run on the university track. We also went through the stretching routine that Kyler learned in school.
The race started promptly at 1:30. Kyler set his goal for 35 minutes, so we set out accordingly. We fell to the back of the pack, but not the whole way back. by the quarter mile mark, Kyler smelled a little blood and picked up the pace a bit to pass two runners.
I had never run this race before despite having attended college here. I forgot how hilly the town of Millersville is, and we started hitting hills early in the race. I was a little worried for Kyler's sake, but he pushed on and over the early hills with no problem. We were hoping to hit splits of around 11:20 per mile, but after the first mile we were running 10:45. This encouraged us both, so we kept that pace and maintained it over the next series of hills. From mile one to two, we passed four more runners. Our split for two miles was 21:30.
After mile two, Kyler indicated for the first time that he was getting a little tired. We dialed it down a little, but then we started downhill and began our way back to the finish. Kyler realized this and picked up the pace slightly. When we were about 300 meters from the finish, he wasn't sure if he wanted to kick it home, so I told him we didn't have to. But then, when he saw the finish, and heard people cheering he went into a sprint for the finish. Our final time was 32:15.
I was a very proud father running with my son, especially when people cheered, "Go 125!" It was my favorite race of the year. We even won a frozen turkey in the raffle after the awards ceremony. To celebrate the experience, we went to the House of Pie in Millersville for Pizza.
I'm looking forward to seeing the official results tomorrow, because I'm sure Kyler at 7 was the youngest runner by at least three years. Unfortunately, he had to compete in the 14 and under age group.
3 comments:
Congratulations Kyler 125!!
Fish that's awesome, glad it was your favorite race and I'm sure it meant a lot to you. GO MARAUDERS!!!
Congrats 125 and 126! Looks like you had enough warm clothing for 3 runners between the two of you. You must be thrilled that your son is taking an interest in running at such a young age!
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