A 5K for the Ages
It’s been over a week now and I’ve had time to reflect on what happened. Being able to run (and walk) with my parents, sister and grandmother was one of my coolest running experiences to date.
After flying, driving and running to get to Fargo for the 5K I figured the worst was past me and could finally look forward to actually running a race. The weather was great for a Friday evening and the atmosphere was electric. The organizers of the Fargo Marathon rescheduled the 5K so more people could attend the race. Attend they did!!! Looking at the starting corral, I’d say the organizers were a little overwhelmed with over 5,000 runners cramming into the street. Organized, it was not.
We settled in towards the back of the masses. If it weren’t for my father aimlessly wondering off (he’s 64 and it happens a lot), we may have been able to leave some of the walkers behind us. It didn’t take long for everybody to get going but the amount of people you had to navigate around was crazy. I wanted my dad to be able to settle into his pace but half the time was spent trying to open holes and create a way through. The crazy part was that all the way to the finish, it was the same. The crowds never let up!!!
For my sister and I, running with our parents was special. Our dad, once a fellow running maniac, worked with a trainer to overcome his many ailments to run this race. Our mother as well had trained but physically didn’t have as many obstacles to overcome. We finally settled into 12 minute miles and crossed in just over 36 minutes. I had told them from the beginning that we could walk if they needed to if anything came up and was actually amazed that they ran the whole thing!!!
Once we finished and hugs were dispersed, my mother and I went back out on the course to find my 84 year old grandmother. Upon hearing that the family was participating in the 5K, she immediately signed up. In my eyes, she’s always been a physical specimen. Despite her age, she’s always been active in golf and tennis. When she used to winter in Arizona, she had to join leagues with women 10-20 years younger than herself for some “competition.” We found her about a 3/4 mile from the finish walking with her friends. The entire time walking with her, the phrase that kept coming up was “Ya know…I can walk faster.” Crossing the finish line the second time (which screwed up my timing chip) we were met by the rest of our friends and family and my niece and nephew joined up with us on the course.
I know it’s not much of a “Race Review” but this wasn’t about the race run on this day. This race was the effort put in by us all for that one day we could all run together as one. I’m hoping to make this a yearly journey but if we don’t get to run again ever…I know we’ve had our moment in the sun!!!
RMFR
Tags: Fargo, Fargo 5K, Fargo Marathon, North Dakota