Start 'Em Early

K-rocks has been champing at the bit to race this year. I found the perfect event for her first race—a 5 mile trail run in Ridley Creek State Park—the Media Mud Stain. Between karate, hockey and weeks of running, she seemed ready, but we decided to go for a test run a few weeks before race day. After 1-1/2 miles, it wasn’t looking good.  Something just wasn’t right. Her faced seemed too red, like she was overheating. But it was a cool fall day, and she only had on a light jacket. I decided to take her jacket, and suddenly it was like a whole new girl. Only forty-five degrees out, and she's running through the woods in a tank top and shorts. When she finished with a sprint, I was sure she was ready.


Fast forward to race day. An early hockey game, home to change and grab a snack, then off to the park. We finally arrived at 9:45 to register for a 10:00 start time. Not a great strategy for her first race.


After we register, Kristin becomes one giant nervous smile as I pinned on her first race bib. She’s so small the bib is as wide as her shirt. 


So it’s sunny, 58 degrees and I’m racing with my cutie. Perfect conditions.

K-rocks starts unusually slow.  I’m wondering if the early wake-up for the hockey game and the rush to the race  wore her out even before we got started. I try to keep her moving at a reasonable pace even as most of the pack passes us in the first half mile.

TALLY-HO

It takes a while, but Kristin finally hits her stride after a mile and a half. She’s having fun in our “steeple chase” as she gives a “Tally-Ho” each time she hurdles a log. We hold hands on the climbs and start to pass racers who have to walk up the hills.


As the trail winds along the river we see a line of racers a few hundred yards a head of us. But right now, we’re focusing on the woman we’ve been following for about 1/2 mile. She’s our “rabbit” and Kristin is the fox chasing her. The fox gets closer and closer, until we pass the rabbit on a long climb to the water station at mile 3.5.

Steeper than it looks.
One of the few times Kristy has to walk a bit.

After we pass our rabbit we look for another one  just ahead. Our next rabbit makes it to the top before us, but she has to stop for water at the water station. Not Kristin. She has her own butler running with her. Need a tissue. No problem. Need some water. Got you covered sweetie.

Some of the mud at the Mud Stain race

So we pass two racers at the water station when we run by.  Then we set our sights on two guys up ahead. The course turns downhill back into the woods, where we see several racers carrying a woman who twisted her ankle badly.  It's a constant reminder of how easy it is to end your race on the winding rocky trails.  At the next hill we pass the two guys we targeted.  Kristin powers up the hill, while the latest rabbits walk up. They shout encouragement to Kristin, and the praise boosts her energy as we head toward the last mile.


One of the race volunteers guiding us along the course declares Kristin the cutest racer the first time we pass her.  By the second time we see her, the volunteer calls Kristin by name (which is written on her bib).

Only a few minutes to go

Jacked up from the attention and with only a mile to go, Kristy keeps moving at a steady pace, as many of the racers start to slow. We power past several racers in the final stretch to the finish.


With only a half mile left, we’re closing in on our last two racers: a thirty-something guy and a twenty-something girl. Every time we get close, you can see them pick up the pace. They obviously don’t want to be passed by a little girl.


Just as we’re closing in, Kristy trips on a root and sprawls into the mud. I help her up and brush her off. My girl is determined to finish, but the stumble gives our last rabbits just enough time to get away. Kristy picks up the pace, and has enough left for a full sprint the last few hundred yards to the finish. As we cross the finish line together, a smile fills her whole face. She would have lit up the woods if it was dark out. And she loves it when the race director says she crossed the finish before me.

We head to the post-race area for lunch. We get some sandwiches and snacks before finally sitting. Now that we've stopped running, 55 degrees in the woods doesn’t feel so warm. I run to the car and grab our fleece tops, but by the time I get back Kristin is one giant goose bump.


We eat and we chat while we wait for the awards. I ask Kristin which trophy is for the cutest racer, since we already know she’s won that award.


After lunch we check out the race board. Kristin was the youngest racer, and she finished 86th out of 102 racers. I’m proud of her finishing ahead of 15 adult racers—(she says 16, but I dispute counting me as one of her victims even though that’s what the official results show).


As we walk through the woods to the car, I stop so we can soak in the moment. I want to remember this morning with my girl forever.