Last year my friend Katie and BAMR Bands founder/owner came up with the great idea to organize a kids’ fun run for the children of our MRTT chapter members. She and our chapter co-leader Erin got the ball rolling in July, and with a lot of hard work from a great group of volunteers, today’s race went off without a hitch.
Katie and family
Registration was free, and each child was given a red Super Kids RUN This Town shirt, and bib with elite runner number 1 at packet pick-up prior to the race. We had 95 children register, and 80 run. I’m not sure if the light drizzle kept those 15 from attending, but 80 children for a first-time-event seemed like a very good turnout.
Our local catholic church generously allowed us to use their school track and playground for our event so our little ones were entertained while waiting for their races to begin. The playground was so fun looking that I wouldn’t have wanted to stop playing – even to run!
The children were divided into age groups with each older age group running a little bit farther than the previous younger group. It was so fun watching the tiny ones waddle/fall/waddle their 100 yards, and the older ones power all of the way around the track. Age groups were:
- 1-year-olds
- 2-year-olds
- 3-to-4 year-olds
- 5-to-6 year-olds
- 7-to-9 year-olds
A special thanks goes to my hubby who volunteered to help me take pictures of those eighty cuties – most who were running in a race for the very first time. Between my GoPro pictures and Bill’s much better photos, we ended up shooting, editing, and keeping 173 to share with our chapter members. All photo credits in today’s post except for the following group pic, go to Bill!
Super Kids Ready to RUN This Town!
Ready, Set, Go!
It cracked us up that when the “winners” of each age group got up to the finish line tape (a red streamer), they would try to step or jump across it rather than break through it! If the break between children was long enough, the finish line tape would be held up again for the next runners.
Here they come!
This must be a high hurdle!
Down the home stretch!
After the races were over, everyone was treated to water and typical post-race snacks. It seemed that far more cookies were taken than bananas, though!
It would be impossible for our chapter to run so smoothly without the expert leadership of these two amazing co-leaders, Amanda and Erin! The amount of behind-the-scenes work they do for MRTT continuously amazes me.
Amanda and Erin with their little runners
Even though we no longer have little ones, I’m so happy that Bill and I were able to volunteer our time today to help make this little race a success. We didn’t do any of the leg work in helping to make this race happen, but we were sort of the icing on the cake, giving the children and parents some fun pictures with which to remember their fun morning!
- Questions:
- If you have children, do you take them with you to races for the fun run?
- Did you ever have the opportunity to run in races when you were a young child?
- Did you race today or are you racing tomorrow? ~ I’m running in the Parks Half with my son tomorrow!
I am just in tears at how adorable that first photo is!! Thank you to you and all the volunteers! I did a race with my 8 year old son once and I am running a 1/2 marathon tomorrow.
Those little chubby one and two-year-old legs were so cute running! Hope your half went well!
What a fun event! I just love watching the itty bitty ones! I never ran as a kid (because my parents didn’t and it wasn’t really popular at that time). My boys have been coming to events with me since they were relatively small. Now they are bigger and faster than me (for running anyway – I continue to hang on to an advantage on a bike)
Kelli recently posted…Weekly Wrap-Up and Nittany Cross
The little ones were a hoot! Enjoy being faster on your bike than your sons while it lasts. They grow up so fast!
I love this! What a great idea. Maybe we will do it for our chapter. #MRTTLove
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Fall Fitness Must Haves- Skirt Sports Giveaway
Your chapter member’s children would love it! 🙂
What a fun event! My husband and 4 year old daughter will come to local races with me – although sometimes she stays with Grandma for the ones that require a little travel. She ran her first race earlier this year. However, she got about halfway down the little stretch of parking lot, stopped, and burst into tears! I have a feeling we may need to wait another year or two until she’s interested. Or never, and that’s ok too!.
Alison recently posted…Fitness Friday
One little girl got right up to the finishing tape and burst into tears, and my husband got the cutest picture of her. We weren’t sure why she did, but wondered if she though they were holding the tape up to make her stop running!
I didn’t run until I was in my late 30s, Deb. But it was worth the wait! I love that the kids got so involved and that they got T-shirts, too.
Especially, “Super Kids” t-shirts!
What a great concept. We need to do this for our local MRTT chapter as well! Looks so fun!
Lauren recently posted…Wednesday Word Link Up
It was our best attended event, and we hold a lot of events in our chapter!
What a fun event! The pictures are just over-the-top cute, too.
Meagan recently posted…A Day In The Life
It was so fun helping Bill take pictures. Those kids were adorable!