Beat the Reaper 10k and 1k Fun Run

Andy enjoyed Beat the Reaper so much last year that it was an easy decision to sign up again. It was made even more tempting by the addition of a children's 1k fun run this time so we signed both boys up too. So we drove the 2 hours once more to Croxteth Country Park where the race, organised by Pool Runnings, was held. We headed straight for the hall and collected Andy's running number. A rather ominous looking reaper was hanging about the registration desk, probably checking out which souls he'd like to scare on the course. I didn't even realise that William had even noticed him until I saw this photo posted after the run! The look on his face is brilliant (although I'm not sure it bodes well for our upcoming Zombie Run on Halloween)!

Photo taken by Anna Watkin

We headed over to the children's playground and let the boys play here and on the exercise equipment until it was time to head over to the start line.

The thing I like about this race as a spectator is that it's 2 laps and there are several places to view the runners from. So once we'd waved Andy off we dashed over near the playground again and spotted him shortly after, then dashed to another point to spot him again.

Then at 5km we were able to do it again. Or at least that was the idea. We went over to stand near the water station to watch Andy come round at the halfway point and after putting his costume on, William managed to get himself involved with handing out water to the runners! 'We need to go to see Daddy at the finish' I said. 'I'm a little too busy' was his reply! I gave him a few more minutes then managed to get him over to the finish line.

Andy's chip time was a fantastic 54.36, a whole 5 seconds faster than last year's time. He received a really cool medal and a bright orange technical shirt for his efforts.

After Andy finished we went round to the cafe and got ready for the fun run whilst having a coffee and hot chocolate. Sam's devil costume went on and so did the boys' running numbers. We then headed over to the start again to wait for the last of the 10k runners to come through and the start of the fun run. I think the boys were getting a bit excited!

Andy ran with Sam and William ran independently. I headed down the path a little way to get some photos of the boys coming through. I could hear the DJ getting the kids all excited, jogging on the spot etc. Then came the reapers, who really hammed it up for them. There was a bit of pantomime booing from the kids and the reapers told them they'd never beat them to the finish as they skulked away down the start line. There were huge smiles on the kids faces as they set off.

I did the same as I did for Andy's first km, once both boys had gone past I ran over to watch them come round the building. William did fantastic and I was worried I'd have to abandon seeing Sam come round so that I could get to the finish in time for William but the worry was for nothing as soon after Sam came speeding round the corner with Andy.

After cheering him past I ran over to the finish line in time for William coming through, followed shortly by Sam. William loved seeing a reaper fall to the floor just short of the finish, pretending that a child had tripped him up. These guys were really fantastic.

The boys received the same medal as Andy with an alternate fun run ribbon and a sweetie bag so were extremely happy. Once again, the trip all the way to Liverpool was well worth it for a fantastic morning of running. I am sure we will be back again next year!

Liverpool Spring 10k and Spring Dash

We had the weekend off to a good start with the Dalton 10k, it got even better on the Saturday when Sam got a PB at last! 46.13, knocking a minute and a half of his best time from last August! Had a great smile on his face the whole way round too.

On Sunday we were up very early to get to Sefton Park in Liverpool for the Liverpool Spring 10k and their children's race, the Spring Dash. We got there shortly before the one way restrictions around the park were put in place so managed to hunt and find a parking space on the outer edge of the park just a short walk to the start/finish line. Unfortunately it had been raining heavily all morning and was raining when we arrived. We had put the boys in their wellies with the intention of going back for their trainers just before their run was due to start. So glad we did as there were a lot of puddles about!

We collected the boys running numbers (which incidently had their names on - a great added touch!) and had a wander about, including a go on the bouncy castle until pretty much the start time of the 10k! Luckily it had stopped raining by this point so I stripped off my jogging bottoms, hoodie and jacket ready to start.

I've never been in such a large race before. I headed to the red start as I'd put my 10k time at over an hour. The crowds were enormous but I managed to spot where Andy was waiting to watch us set off with the boys thanks to the giant helium balloons they'd gotten just before the start! I hurriedly handed him my cap which I'd changed my mind about wearing and waited. We eventually heard the countdown but it took me 2 minutes to reach the start. Not a worry though as it was chip timed and I set my garmin off just before going through the start.

Spot the Cheetah

We were all quite bunched up for a few minutes and I was trying to make my way around those going a bit slower than me. Eventually we started spreading out a little and I managed to get going with a good pace. Just before my garmin hit 5k was the water station, but I didn't stop as I wanted to try for a 5k PB. Didn't quite manage that but came very close!

My legs were feeling like lead weights after that point, but not too long afterwards I spotted a yellow balloon being bumped about and then spotted that it was attached to Sam's raincoat. Seeing them there was a real boost and I found myself speeding up again. The marshals were fantastic, and really encouraging but there's nothing like seeing your family to keep you going.

I rounded the second to last corner and the finish line became visible again and I spotted that yellow balloon again along the edge! I ran in as best as I could, although a sprint finish was a bit out of the question as my energy was just zapped.

Another bonus - free finish line photography! Thank you! (even if I look very worn out!)

Thrilled to have finished with a PB according to my garmin, I headed to the t-shirt funnels to collect my goody bag and t-shirt. It took what felt like an age to get through, but boy was it worth the wait. Fantastic tech t-shirt and gorgeous medal! I later discovered that my chip time for the run was 1.03.12, knocking 2 minutes off my previous 10k PB!

The children's race started after the main race had finished. William wanted to run it by himself which was fine by me. It was only on park paths and I was a little tired. Andy ran with Sam. They set off down the path to a loop in the path and then headed back again.

William didn't stop the whole way and Sam did his parkrun speed which still got him back in within 12 minutes. Very proud of them both. It was whilst waiting for them that the other WWC found me and helped cheer the boys in. The boys both received an excellent medal and the same goody bag as the 10k runners.

Seeing as the sun had come out, we all enjoyed a picnic packed lunch before heading home. Andy and I both agreed it was a very well organised event with a great atmosphere. I hope we'll be coming back again next year.

Cross Country with Sam

Well, hot off the heels of his 50th parkrun, Sam has floored me yet again.

I was asked after school one day a few weeks ago if I'd run with Sam in a years 3 and 4 cross country competition if they signed him up. 'Well, um...yes', I said. I'm always happy to run with either of the boys although I was a bit confused at first seeing as it was for a competition and not a fun run and Sam is not exactly what you'd call speedy! I was assured that it wouldn't matter, and that they wanted to include him.

Well, the day came yesterday. I picked the boys up from school and got Sam changed there before we left. A big smile came over his face when I showed him his trainers and running bottoms! He put on the school's top and then we drove out to Sandy Gap to mooch about until the races started.

We met some of our WWC friends there who were going to help me with William whilst I was running and cheer us on as well as the other Cubs who were taking part for their schools. There were 4 races in total, year 4 boys, year 4 girls, year 3 boys and year 3 girls. So Sam was in the third race. We watched as the first two groups sprinted off at great speed toward the Roundhouse and then back again. The older boys and girls had to run two laps, whereas the younger ones would be running one lap. Sam was getting more and more excited and I was feeling a tad nervous having seen the speed of the other children.

Before I knew it, it was our turn and we got into position. After a short set of instructions the whistle blew and we set off. As I suspected, the other boys flew away from us, but Sam was also running! Needed a little prompting at the start but then he was off. Although we'd been at the back to start with we managed to overtake 2 boys just before the Roundhouse and we caught up with a few more on the bend back to the finish. Although he took my hand a couple of times, Sam used it more to push away from me and he just kept going!  He did a fantastic steady pace most of the way round and I think he enjoyed seeing his friends cheering him on. Couldn't have been prouder.

He finished third from last but had an absolute ball the whole way round. I wish our group had needed to complete a second lap to be honest just to see him enjoy the event for longer. Because of the pace he'd been doing, he could have physically kept going too. It was so nice to have him involved in an event like this and I'm very thankful he was given the opportunity. Yes, it was a competition but it didn't feel competitive and is just one more example of how inclusive running can be!