Below is a piece I wrote in September 2000, more than 15
years ago. It’s kinda fun to reminisce.
In 1984, at age 47, I finished my tenth marathon in a
personal best time. I said then it was time to hang it up. But that was before
my younger daughter proposed a “family marathon” last Christmas. It’s hard to
say “” to your kids however old they get.
On June 4, 2000, Kristin, 40, mother of three, attorney and
public service commissioner for the state of Wyoming, finished her first
marathon. Jennifer, 36, mother of three, Ph.D student in special educations,
finished her second and I finished my eleventh. We did it together and we had a
blast!
Even more meaningful than the actual event was the training
we did together, as much in spirit as in actuality. We live in different
states, but we burned up the email and telephone lines sharing training
schedules, aches and pains and triumphs like completing our 20-mile runs. This
year for Mother’s Day, my daughters gave me a running hat and a water bottle
with a strap for carrying on long runs.
Family members drove us to the start in the dark, watched
the little kids while we ran and greeted us at the finish line—the County Court
House in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with loud cheers, snapping cameras and
goofy awards.
I think we’ve started a family running thing. In August,
Kristin, her 10 year-old daughter Amy and I ran together in the Cheyenne,
Wyoming Race for the Cure 5k. In September, Kristin’s husband, Tom, 40, will
run his first marathon in Logan, Utah joined by first-timers sister Tracy, 45,
and brother Adam, 38. Their mom is coming all the way from Hawaii to watch.
I was never prouder or had a better time than I did when I
ran 26.2 miles with my two daughters…
Epilogue: …unless it was when I joined my son Kurt for the
Tokyo Marathon in 2012. It’s very hard to say “no” to your kids. I think they’d
better quit asking.
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