My husband, Dadjogger took part in a backyard ultra marathon this past Saturday. This was his second time competing in this kind of a race and it is not an easy feat. The format of the race is every hour on the hour you need to complete 4.167 miles. If you are not back in time for the start of the next hour you are disqualified from the race and receive a DNF. Last year, he completed 7 laps which totals to about 29 1/2 miles altogether. This year, he was hoping to beat his past time and amount of laps. The problem with this race as a spectator is that you do not not have much time to do anything in-between seeing him at the start of the hour and being there to watch him cross the finish line for that hour milestone of 4 miles. In other races, you have hours in between being able to see Will so we can explore a little more around the park and surrounding areas. But this race has a time constraint which is difficult with three kids because once we settle somewhere, they do not want to move somewhere else. Also, on this particular day, it was freezing. The race started at a brisk 21 degrees and we were in the middle of a park. We were the lucky ones that we could take cover in the car and blast the heat but the runners had to be out there all day sweating, cooling down and then sweating again.
We started the race helping Will to set up his camp with his chair, extra clothes and drinks. Then the race began promptly at 8 am. We watched Will cross the start line and then headed to where we would see him again on the other side of the park at mile 0.5. Luckily, our car was in the middle of these two spots so we had a middle ground to go back to. After lap 1, we raced back to the car to blast the heat and warm up! We stayed there for the entire 35 minutes we had until we got out of the car again at 8:45 to go to the “finish” line to see him complete lap 1. This was obviously not the finish line because at 9 am, he had to start the whole race again. When he began lap 2, we raced to the spot to see him again at 0.5 miles and then raced back into the car to get warm again. At this point, we began our make believe/pretend play in the car. The boys had a few stuffed animals with them and created a pet store in the car setting up the animals amongst our van. We also managed to bring a calculator with us? And this allowed the boys to have a cash register. It truly is amazing what they come up with in the little amount of things they have. Normally on these races, we spend a lot of time in the woods playing, but it was not even 28 degrees at this point in the morning so we retreated back to the car. We also played some trivia bringing along our 4th grade brain quest cards with us. These were challenging at times and very easy for them. It’s amazing to hear what they do know! My FAVORITE response to one of the questions was from my oldest, 8 year old Billy. I asked him what the capital of Italy was? I did not expect him to answer Rome, because he hasn’t learned about capitals yet in Social Studies. His response was thoughtful and prompt – I. I loved that answer because he understood it by using a capital or uppercase I to start the word Italy. We all got a great laugh. But they did know other questions like that a coral was a live animal and that they learned from Finding Nemo.
After some trivia, we got out again at 9:45 to race back to see the completion of lap 2. At this point, the boys wanted to run and move after being in the car. We watched Will start lap 3 and saw him again at the mile 0.5 spot and this time we spent some time in the woods. They found their sticks and started creating games with their imaginations! We were able to stay out this whole hour and watched Will complete lap 3. After the start of lap 4 and seeing him at his usual spot, we decided to venture out and get some brunch. We explained to Will that we would not see him at the next lap because we would not be back in time. I took them out for a treat of Dunkin Donuts and we enjoyed using a non-porta potty bathroom, sitting in the warmth and having some hot chocolate. The kids truly are troopers during these experiences. These kinds of events make them good at traveling, waiting patiently and also they enjoy the tiny perks provided within the adventure of the day. We made it back in time to see Will start lap 5 and then ventured to our next spot in the park which is a dog park/treehouse section of the woods. We found this setup at the race the year before and the kids remembered it this time. They were able to play freely in the woods while having dogs running around within the dog park. What a dream! Playtime with dogs!
We watched Will finish lap 5 and begin lap 6 at our usual 0.5 mile spot. At this point, Will had rolled his ankle and he was getting tired. He explained that he may be finishing soon. Billy was disappointed to hear this because he wanted him to continue and beat his laps from last year. We happily watched him continue on his way knowing he did have more in the tank. Next, we ventured to our next spot which was the playground conveniently located next to the running route where we can watch the final straightaway of the lap. My boys befriended some children at the playground who brought their monster trucks and it began a monster truck rodeo down the slides. We cheered Will on in each spot and then excitedly watched him start lap 7, which he told us would be his last lap. This last lap was still cold as the weather only reached 34 degrees as the high. Our last lap was filled with playground time and sitting in the car eating snacks and continuing on with our brain quest trivia.
I am always so proud of my boys and how they happily cheer for their Dad, play together nicely, and make friends at the playground. The day ended with Will completing 7 laps again which officially marks an ultra marathon status! This year he ran the same amount of laps but he did run a faster time, which meant each paced lap was faster than last year, which is a huge accomplishment. I commend Will for this valiant race each year because it is something I would not want to do. I would not enjoy the pressure of having to make it back in time, I would not enjoy the megaphone pressure of getting on line in time to start the next lap, and frankly I do not enjoy running in the absolute freezing cold. The starting and stopping of this race makes the temperature a huge factor and is even more of a drawback for me. I am always thoroughly impressed by Will and it is always an honor to bring our kids around and show them how amazing their Dad is in his resilience, passion and grit! We all love to spectate at these races, but next time would be a little more enjoyable with a warmer temperature! Congratulations Will, we love you and are so proud of you!
