Charlie's First Race

So my boy took on his first race of 1k which is .62 miles. My main goal as a father to a 3 year old boy was for him to finish his race. The race took place in downtown Franklin which has a beautiful town square. He started off the race holding his ears as the air horn was quite traumatic for his little ears. His grandmother and aunt drove to Memphis to watch his first race. Surprisingly Charlie did very well and didn't stop the whole way. He needed plenty ofencouragement as his mother and I ran with him. I ran to encourage his run while Shannon ran along the curb videoing and taking some pictures. For the last 1/4 of the race as we headed toward the finish line, Charlie was giving high fives to the fans and a giant hotdog mascot.

I could not believe the little man ran for .62 miles without stopping. He seemed amazed by the police officers that were blocking off traffic and never once said he wanted to stop. At the end of the race he got a ribbon and a nice medal his grandmother purchased for him for his first race. As a dad, it meant more to me than I thought it would as we were approaching the finish line. I was overwhelmed with pride for my little man. While it might not have been a big deal to Charlie, .62 miles was a long way. As soon as we crossed the

finish line I asked Charlie if he would like to run another kid's race one day and he emphatically said, "yes!"

I wonder how long it will be until he starts beating his old man.