Race day recap

So, yesterday (Saturday) was the Crim Kids' Classic. It was a bright, sunny day, but not too warm. Just perfect for racing!

It was Logan's third race. He ran the quarter-mile for the second year in a row. (The first year he raced, he had just turned three, and did the Toddler Trot). We also entered Jordan in the Diaper Dash for kids up to age 2 this year.

So, we got up and I got the boys carb-loaded with oatmeal for breakfast and then we headed off to the Flint Cultural Center. I was kind of uptight in the car because I was afraid we'd be late since we didn't head out 'til a couple minutes after 10, we had to drive all the way to Flint, and there's all that construction on I-69. We also hit an unexpected road closure in Lapeer on the way. However, Hubby sped like a maniac drove like a champ and got us there with plenty of time to pick up the boys' race packets, shirts and numbers.

Jordan was happy snappy, enjoying the music and ready to go!



Logan helped chase him



The Diaper Dash was first, at 11 a.m., so we headed over there and were actually the first ones in the starting area. The photographers from Brightroom Event Photography were there and started snapping photos of the boys as we waited, so hopefully they got some good ones. They get right in there during the races and take great, up-close pics of the kids and then they soak us sucker parents for them. It's cool, though, because it's a fun memory, and it's REALLY hard to get pics when you're dealing with trying to help your kids race and there are big crowds and so on. Our personal photos didn't come out all that great, so we'll probably end up purchasing a few from Brightroom. They got a great one of Logan from his first race. His feet weren't even touching the ground! It was AWESOME.

Whew. I should mention I have in NO WAY been compensated for all that by Brightroom. If they wanted to be really nice, they'd give me a couple free shots for the publicity! Yeah, right! :) No, I'm just actually glad they're there taking photos.

SO, we were there at the starting line and Jordan ended up being in the first heat of kids racing. They divide the Diaper Dash and Toddler Trot into heats of 6 runners to avoid trampling and trip-ups, and it's really nice.

The Diaper Dash race is so fun to watch. Even crawlers are invited to join! It's just "run" on a length of outdoor carpeting that has lanes marked on it, ending at the balloon arch finish line (The finish line for all the races that day, which range up to a mile). I am not sure of the Diaper Dash distance. Maybe 15 feet? I'm really bad at estimating that kind of stuff.



Anyway, they got the first heat lined up and we waited



And then it was time to go, and Jordan was off like a shot! He was the first to take off, he ran the whole way, even in his own lane, and was the first kid to cross the finish line in the first heat of the first race of the day! Yeah! That's my boy! I remember Logan did just as well the first time he did it, too.



He collected his medal



Then we had some time to kill before Logan's 11:45 start, so we checked out all the fun stuff. Logan got a black weiner dog from Nate the Great, the balloon animal guy, who was pretty darn talented and even had funny jokes going the whole time. I'd totally hire this dude for a birthday party or event!





Logan was looking forward to saying Hi to the Crim mascot bear again this year.



Finally it was time to line up for Logan's race. I was worried because he'd developed a REALLY violent cough overnight and just couldn't stop coughing. I gave him a Jolly Rancher to suck on hoping it would help. He decided he wanted me to run with him (Daddy ran with him last year) so we went to the starting line and Daddy and Jordan went to watch.

Waiting for the start



This is the "cat lady" who rode her bike to basically let the kids follow her so they knew which way to run. She runs the adult Crim (in August) every year dressed as a cat. Love her Hello Kitty helmet!



Riley McLincha was also there, doing his "drubbling,"- which is dribbling three basketballs at a time. I didn't get a pic of him, but this dude is a fixture at Crim events. He has run the entire 10-mile Crim race while "drubbling." Amazing!

We're off!



Logan came out of the gate REALLY FAST. I had trouble keeping up at first, but he started too quickly and slowed right down in the middle. I could hear that the breathing was hurting his chest, poor kid. Nothing like running when you're sick. But, he didn't stop and even sprinted out the finish. I stayed a bit behind him and cheered him along the whole quarter-mile.

After that, we grabbed the boys' post-race pizza, apples and water and they had lunch, and then we checked out the bounce houses and stuff and headed home.



I tried to get pics of the boys in their matching outfits and medals. They were more interested in the tangerine lollipops that were in their race bags!











All in all, it was a really fun day. If you have kids and live in mid-Michigan, the Crim Kids Classic is every May and it's a great, kid-friendly event. Check it out sometime! We go every year. It's a great way to get kids excited about being active.