Normally around this time of year we are fighting traffic and stressing ourselves to try and get a parking spot at the Kid's Marathon in Nashville. Not this year! Our very own Coach Mark, our P.E. teacher, headed up a Kid's Marathon right here in Spring Hill! The boys prepared by running 25 miles in the weeks heading up to the race.
We were all prepared except for the fact that all the warm weather was back in February and today it was a balmy 50 degrees with an overcast sky threatening rain! Rhett makes me laugh in this picture. What is he doing??
Cade was the first runner with the fourth grade boys' start. We were loving the smaller crowd!
And they're off! I was not quick enough to get ahead of this crowd of runners. I barely caught Cade heading by!
That lap around the track was a killer for all the boys! Just when they thought they were done they still had that last .2 miles to go. Cade did great holding his 4th place position. He had one guy pretty close behind!
Next up, Grant and the second graders. Grant cracks me up when it comes to any kind of competition. He doesn't like the training part but when it comes to competition day he is in it to win it! He was so pumped up he could hardly stand himself!
Second graders, off!
Grant (and every other competitive kid) was in an all out sprint right out of the gate. I was sure that by about 100 yards all of them were going to pass out.
He was having fun sprinting though!
The turn to the stadium had him red faced and a bit tired but I was surprised to see that he was holding second place pretty tightly. He was preceded by his friend Breck that is a regular at races.
Heading towards the finish line:
Grant Morgan: Second place in Second grade! Yeah!
Last up, Little Buddy and his kindergarten competition. We almost missed the start because we were watching Grant. Rhett made it just in time but he was in the very back of the pack at the start.
I was cracking up watching him at the beginning because he looked like Frogger, weaving in and out of kids with his game face on.
It didn't take him long to find his way towards the front of the pack of kids.
Bobby was somewhere in the middle of the course to cheer on the boys. Let me just pop in and say that in all the miles we've run together to prepare for this race not once, not EVER has Rhett run the entire way. Never. So, imagine Bobby's shock when he saw fluffy hair bobbing his way only to clearly see that Rhett was in the lead!
Then, out of nowhere, Jet, Coach Montgomery's kinder kid bolted past him right when I snapped my pic of him rounding his way into the stadium.
Rhett was losing steam around the track and Jet was holding him from first place pretty solid. I nearly shrieked when right around the last curve Rascal Flatt's version of Life is a Highway belted out on the loudspeaker and Rhett turned it on high gear. The only other song that speaks to his inner self more than that one is Fire Burning where the tag line is "Somebody call 911" (and that's exactly what I thought we'd need to do if Rhett actually sprinted out the entire mile!)
He zoomed right past his friend to a first place finish! I could.not.believe.it!!
He picked up his medal and trophy like it was no biggie.
My hats off to a little friendly competition that sparks some drive! I love it!
Our friend from church, Lauren, was first place girl. Look at TSC showin' out!
I was so proud of all three of my runners. They all worked really hard getting their miles in prior to the run. It was lots of early wake up days to make it to running club before school started. We can't wait until next year's race!!
