Having never volunteered for a race before, I was unsure what to expect. Criminal background check was definitely not what I was expecting, but as a parent letting her 10 yr old run it alone, I felt safer knowing that the volunteers weren't going to run off with her.
The morning of the race dawned cold and rainy....REALLY cold and rainy! It had been 80 degrees earlier in the week, and that morning it was about 42 degrees. The girls were not happy with the rain at all. My job of encouraging the runners started before we even left the house, as I had to make sure they were both properly clothed and had hats and gloves. Lovely running attire for mid-May!!
Checking in at the volunteer booth, I was given the best accessory I could have ever asked for.....A CAPE!!! Forget Sparkle Runner, I was a SUPER RUNNER!! It was seriously awesome....so bummed I had to give it back after the event!
As the rain fell on us, we headed over to the Fun Booth's to get hair color and face paintings! This really helped keep all the girls spirits up, as no one likes cold rain, but colored hair spray makes everything all better!! I even got in on the fun and had green and pink spray added to my hair! I'm all about the fun!
There was an awesome DJ playing some music and lots of little girls in tutu's and tiara's dancing around in the wet grass. The adult runner/mom in me was like "Ack! you'll slip and twist an ankle!!" while the volunteer fun advocate in my was dancing around like a crazy fool too!
As we got closer to the 9am starting time, the rain stopped and the sun came out!! Looks like it would end up being a beautiful run after all! Quick, everyone ditch the sweatshirts, hats and gloves!
The race started with a lap around the track, then up the road through the parking lot of our great little zoo. Local companies had "spirit tables" set up around the course with balloons, noise makers, bubbles and great support cheering on the girls. I was running with the 30-40 minute girls, while my daughter and her friend were up way head of us. Each team/school of girls had their coaches running with them, plus I saw a LOT of parents, both moms and dads, that were running right along side their girls. It was so great to see the support everyone was giving! With so many parents and coaches on the course with the girls, it was hard to find one that needed some extra encouragement. Mostly I just ran with a group for a while, then held back and ran with another group, then held back and walked with some more. As I got farther and farther back in the pack, I encountered more walkers than runners, so I did my best to encourage these girls to run just a little bit if they could. I would sign to them to try and get them to run....that actually worked better than I thought it would. Guess I really can't sing. LOL As we rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I joined a group of walkers who decided to run across the finish line! They were so excited and proud of themselves, it was such a great feeling to be a part of them!!
The girls had a great time, loved the race and the fun and the chance to show what girls can do!! Looking forward to next years event!
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