Let’s talk about Pie Day, err, Pi Day. I mentioned before that we had all signed up to do the Pi Day River Rotational as a family. As we neared the race date, the weather forecast began calling for high winds and snow. Which, for some is awesome, but for me, notsomuch. I also felt really uncomfortable sending a just-turned-10-year-old out on the trails, in the snow and wind. The course markings for the loops are confusing, and I would feel horrible if he got lost. Also, Tatum was running the 5K with Steven, yet I knew he would dash ahead probably get lost. Scary.
I left it up to Bowie. I explained the weather forecast, and he asked how long the half would take to run. He decided himself to drop to the 5K, which I think was a really mature decision. There will be more half marathons to run.
So we got to the trailhead and mingled a bit. The heaters were quite welcome as we stayed warm before the race.
We were called up to line up at the gate. I helped Bowie get his Garmin ready to go, and kept Tatum warm. I explained to Tatum about pacing and told him to stick with me. He had woken up with a really bad cough, so I wanted to be sure running wasn’t too much for him. Soon, we were off! And with that, Tatum went out like a lightning bolt. Which meant I was chasing him, yeliing, “Tatum! Wait!!!!” like a crazy person. I caught up and kept reeling him back in, but he kept trying to pull away. After about half a mile, he was breathing hard and ready to walk. Tatum learned about going out too fast… Had he listened to mom, he would have done 2 miles before needing a walk. But to be fair, I always go out too fast, too.
So the rest of the race, we were run-walking. Because Tatum tended to dawdle on the walk breaks, it gave Steven a bit of an opportunity to reel Tatum in a bit. Once Tatum would spot Steven behind us, he would take off running again. We kept this up the entire first loop. We went out to do the “mini loop” and Tatum floored it for that part. He pushed pretty hard across the finish line with everyone cheering him in. Bowie was at the finish cheering really hard. Super cute!
Once Steven finished, we headed over and sampled pie! And donuts! And!!!! The race directors even made sure there was a gluten free coconut cream pie for me! Now that is customer service!
While we were munching pie, we checked out the results. Bowie had an 11 second PR over his last road race! In the 19 and Under group, Bowie took 2nd, and Tatum took 3rd. (I didn’t mention to Tatum there were only 3 runners.) The first place runner was 18 years old, so Bowie can’t feel too bad about 2nd place. Bowie was 14th overall and 10th male. So he actually did really well. Proud of that kid!
So… Race Thoughts?
The Pi Day River Rotational continues to be an excellent first half marathon for any runner. The trail is easy on the legs, and gentle (non-technical) for the smallest of runners. The course is well-marked and volunteers are amazing at keeping you on-course and well-motivated. We even had charming wood finisher medals this year, but the pie at the end was the best award of all. If you are into big expos, this race is not for you. But if you want bang-for-the-buck and low key fun? Lawrence Trail Hawk races are a good bet.