First I wanted to give a shout out to Drew, who’s running the End of the Tunnel marathon this weekend. I hope you have a great race and get that BQ!! And to everyone else, thanks for stopping by my blog. Hope you have a great weekend on tap, and hope your races all go well! (Good luck Heather and Megan on their halfs!! You will do awesome!)
I mentioned last week that we went to see our kids race at the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival. This meet is one of the largest in the country!! The race directors said there are over 8,000 runners at this event. Holy crap, right??
In each of my kids divisions, there were just over 600 runners. At the high school level, there are several divisions for the schools to compete in. My daughters division had 133 varsity runners (the top 7 runners of each school team), and 425 runners in the Open division!
Here’s an idea of what 435+ high school boys look like taking off at the start line of the Open event. You would NOT want to wander on the course at the wrong time, that’s for sure. It sounded like an elephant stampede.
I did discover there was a story of great sportsmanship that happened at the races that day. It was in the high school boys division. I’m not sure if this picture circulated anywhere outside of Toledo yet, but it’s a good one.
One of the runners went down and couldn’t get off his knees in the finish chute. Immediately one of the other runners scooped up his arm, and another runner followed suit and they got him to the finish. The guy in blue & white is actually from our team! It just goes to show you that even at this level, people are making good choices and helping out each other. Loved it!! The runner did get medical attention at the finish and was OK.
Here’s a link to the story for more info: —–> XC runner
It’s refreshing to see good sportsmanship like this, especially in the high school crowd! Go runners!!
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Q: Have you ever had to have medical assistance during a race?
Thankfully, I have not. I have been taken to the medical tent after a marathon though!!
Q: Did you run in Cross Country or Track in school?
Q: Do you have any weekend plans?
I am torn between getting stuff done around my house this weekend, and getting out and enjoying the great weather. I can do both, right??
I quit track in HS after 5 practices! I hated it. I didn’t enjoy running until college. So why did I join track?? HMmmmm. I went to the med tent after a marathon before but nothing serious. I too LOVE to see good sportsmanship!! I know that is something our elem. students talk about in PE class and are required to show- good sportsmanship and positive attitude. I know sometimes it’s hard for little kids because empathy is not always an emotion they have quite yet!
Megan @ Meg Go Run recently posted…Friday 5 – What I Wore To Work This Week
Maybe cross country would have been your thing. Track is a whole other animal – seems like people usually like one or the other. Not sure if my kids will do track in the spring, but I hope so!
Thanks for the shout out! I haven’t run a marathon since NYC 2015, so I am not sure how well this is going to go, but I got all the training runs done, 598 miles, except the very last one yesterday. I have never had medical assistance DURING a race but a couple of times after due to falls resulting in bloody knees. I was never a runner until my late 40s. Got divorced, quit smoking, and started running. Didn’t run anything further than a 5K until I was 50. Of course, you already know my weekend plans. Flying out this afternoon to Seattle and back on Monday.
You have come a long way! Fingers crossed for you, and have fun in Seattle!
I have never gone to the medical tent during or after a race, thankfully. It’s something I hope I never have to experience. Have had a few close calls.
I’m glad the runner who fell got attention and is okay. I am glad the officials aren’t DQing the kids who help someone in a race, I know some of them were doing that for awhile and don’t think they should. It’s human nature to see someone down and want to help them.
Amy Lauren Scott recently posted…Remembering Cindy
I can say they do take awesome care of runners in the medical tent, but yes, I sure hope you don’t have to find that out personally! 😉
Good luck on the race Drew!!
Wow what a huge event! I ran a year of track, never did cross country because I was intimidated by the distance! That’s wonderful that the young men helped him when he was down. Thankfully, knock on wood, I haven’t had that kind of experience at a race.
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Rock ‘N Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon Training Week 8
I’m with you – it sure sounded like a really far distance back when I was in school! Running was never my thing back in school. I’m glad I gave it another chance later in life 🙂