This is such a fun race. The route changed from last year (for the better I think). It is so cool to be running and look ahead on the seawall and see the snake of lights.

My SIL said from the get go, that we might have to leave her. She did great and was able to keep up. I let my nephew set the pace. The first 2km it is so crowded, that you can't go faster than the rest of the crowd anyway, so we just used it as a bit of a warm up. At one point, nephew speeds up a bit; SIL says "you realize it is YOUR job to keep up with him". LOL. Yep, I knew it!!

Around 2.5km, the path widens, and the crowd thins out some. Stanley Park is a beautiful park surrounded right on the ocean, so you are basically running along the water the whole way. Flat too :). As we came along the corner at Brockton Point, you could look ahead and see all the other runners' headlamps lighting up the path. You can actually see 2.5km ahead on the seawall, so that is pretty cool---a 2.5km snake slinking along. We cruised along to the 5km water station, grabbed some water there with a rest just long enough to drink, then kept going. At 7km, I heard a volunteer say that my nephew was the youngest they had seen--there were several comments to him along the way "way to go, little buddy" "wow, look at the young boy". I was thinking "what about his mom and I, we are the ones having to keep up with him!" :)

Around 8km, I asked my SIL how she was doing, and she said she was starting to hurt, but ok. I said that this was the longest she had been; this was when she told me that they had actually taken walk breaks on their recent 8km! I was so impressed that she was still running, and didn't want to take a walk break. My nephew said that he wanted to have a good kick at the end. So, at 9km he speeds up a bit. SIL says go, I'll meet you at the end. I tell her not to walk, she can do it.

I tell nephew to be careful, he doesn't want to go too fast. So, I am calling out every 100 meters. 500m--he speeds up a little. 400m--speeds up a little more. 300m--a little more. Are you kidding me? I am struggling to keep up. 150 to go, one more turn and the finish line is in sight. And he really kicks it up. Holy shit, this kid can run! I barely kept up to him to the finish. SIL came in about :40 after us-really great!!!

Nothing. This was so fun to do as a family, and I think I will 'give' it to my nephew every year for his birthday (at least as long as he wants to continue!). I really think Noah could do this in under an hour. I don't know anything about young runners, but he seems fast to me!

Some stretching and some eating.