Sam and Andy's 50th parkrun

It was a cloudy and windy morning on Saturday, but I was happy it was windy! It was due to be Andy and Sam's 50th parkrun and Sam isn't the most predictable person when it comes to running so we turned up with our cake, brownies and our fingers and toes crossed that he would be happy to give it a go! Sam loves windy weather (a fact that several Barrow parkrunners mentioned having noticed as well) and it looked like he'd be a goer.

 

I was hoping William would want to stick near his brother for this one then we could all help make sure Sam got round the course. Luckily we managed this for the most part!

Sam looked positively cheerful going round the whole way. I love seeing him smile when he is enjoying something as his whole face lights up. He did his usual sprint/walk/sprint routine and made it into the finish in 51.23, not a bad time for him! (His current PB is 47.42 which he ran last August)

After the run, we headed to the cafe for cake. There was a lot of it that morning as 3 other people had run their 50th parkruns and our friend had also run her 100th! It was great to see so many milestones being reached. Sam tucked into his cake and brownies and probably wondered what all the fuss was about!

I remember having a conversation with Andy about whether or not we should try Sam with parkrun, panicking that he wouldn't stay on the paths or that he might not even run but it turns out he's doing just fine. He may be distracted by wanting to sprinkle cut grass and fallen leaves sometimes but essentially he loves to run around the park and that's what matters. I'm so proud of what he's achieved.

I would like to give Andy a big shout out on here. He is a terrific dad who only got into running in order to take Sam round parkrun 15 months ago (little did he know he'd catch the running bug!). He's also done brilliantly to get to 50 parkruns. He's tirelessly taken Sam round every week and has only actually run 5 of his 50 parkruns by himself!

I'd also like to thank everyone at Barrow parkrun for their support as well. The inclusiveness is amazing. It's lovely to be able to access a mainstream family activity on a Saturday morning and have Sam completely accepted. He is a parkrunner first and foremost and no one is phased by any of his difficulties. Looking forward to him reaching the 100 club now!