Sunday, August 24, 2008

Maybe I'll join him next summer!

Sometimes I just need to brag a little about members of my family. My girlhood family.

My dad is my rockstar. Actually he is my runningstar but "rockstar" just sounds more hip. For the past 2 weekends he has run in area races. Last weekend he ran in a four mile race in Lapeer and yesterday he ran in the 5K Crim race that had over 13,000 entries for 5 or 6 different races!

In case you aren't familiar with how a "real" race like this works, please let me explain. Everyone gets a "chip" that they attach to their shoe. This electronically records their start and stop time so if they start at the back of the pack, they still are timed accurately. The runners are grouped into age categories as well. This means that my 67 year old dad doesn't compete with a 19 year old (which I have decided is the age to be if you want to be the overall winner--sickening).

The Crim Race is a huge yearly event in Flint. You get to pick up your chip and T shirt the night before the race. That is big! My dad has never liked running in a large crowd because they push him too hard and he could have the potential of over running and not being able to complete the race. He is a retired choir teacher....I'm sure he just sets a ste
ady tempo and goes with it. He started the race about 3 minutes after the big crowd. He then passed 690 people before he crossed the finish line. (That statistic still amazes me because I can see him in my mind counting people as he sped by! ...hmmmm, I hope he didn't yell out the number as he passed....that could get a tad dicey.)

Out of 14 entries in his age category, my dad came in 4th. My dad, who runs or walks at the rec center everyday but Sunday, came in 4th! My dad, who always has time to chat with me on the phone, even if I woke him up from a nap, came in 4th! I am really proud of him. Even if he wears khaki jean shorts and doesn't really look like a runner. Great job, Dad! Oh, and fabulous looking white headband and black leather belt. You really are my rockstar~forever.

Love Always,

1 comment:

sarah marie said...

Wow, congrats to your dad! What a cool guy.