Make Races a Family Event

It’s Not My Fault If You Choose To Follow My Husband’s Advice

Issue #7

Make Races a Family Event

When I was in high school running track and cross country, those sports were listed as team sports, and I loved my team, but it always felt like an individual sport and I helped contribute to a team. Now, when I have a race, it’s usually most of the day or all day or a few days of nothing but running (and walking and sometimes sleeping). And since I have a family, I don’t feel right about telling my wife to take care of the kids while I go off and party all weekend with a race. So, they come along.

From my first 100-miler when we only had two kids (4 and 2) and it was 30 degrees outside, my family has always come to my races. They cheer me on throughout the day and give me so much to look forward to when I start getting close to an aid station. I love their high fives and “Go dad” and trying to keep them out of the way of other incoming runners.

Now that my kids are getting older, my wife and kids will also sometimes run the shorter races. I love being able to see them on the course and give them high fives as we pass. It’s so fun hearing others tell me that they saw my kid out running and what an inspiration that was and how they need to get their kids (or grandkids) out on the trails.

One of my favorite parts of being on Team TROT is that I’m one of the few that has a family. I like showing that running isn’t just for singles. It’s totally a team sport. The team may consist of your actual team members, other runners you meet, or all the volunteers at aid stations. But my favorite part of running is my family team.