Showing posts with label Peyton Moore. Show all posts
Peyton's Wild and Wacky Ultra
10x5K and 5K
March 9, 2019
Peyton's Wild and Wacky Ultra registration is now open! Race date is March 9, 2019. Location is
Laurel Hill County Park in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Registration opened September 10th (Peyton's Birthday)

Relay events (2 person and 5 person teams) are SOLD OUT!

Join us for the fifth annual Peyton's Wild and Wacky 5K Ultra on March 9, 2019.

This is an Ultra 50K and 5K combined event. 50K event starts at 7:00am and is a 10x5K format (one 5K at the top of each hour for ten consecutive hours). 5K event starts at 10:00am and runs the same route as the 50K participants (yes, it will be crazy). Relay for the 10x5K is open to two and five person teams. Teams choose their own order for runners and share one bib for the whole day. This is the best of both worlds, there will be crazy fast runners and crazy ultra runners on the same course. There will be a tent village area for the relay and solo runners to hangout while waiting for the next race. We will have great food, music and give a ways all day. 

Please note: This year Relay Team Captains will pay the full registration for the team and invite team members to join (that way Noah does not have to track you all down). 

Don't miss the chance to be part of the coolest trail race in the Lowcountry!

#RUN4P

Last year we sold out each event and had a huge turnout, a great race and a lot of fun. This year will be even better! 

This race is in honor of Peyton Moore, our nine year old son who passed away in 2013. P was a local runner, track and field star and all around great kid who lived life to the fullest. We could not think of a better way to remember our boy than spending a day running and hanging out with all our runner friends.

Just like Peyton, this race will be very wild and wacky. Join us for a 10x5K (50K) Ultra or come out and run the 5K event right in the middle of the ultra. Run the 50K solo or make a relay team with 2 or 5 of your friends. All races will be held on the Laurel Hill Trail in Mount Pleasant, SC.

All proceeds from the race will be donated to Peyton's favorite organizations;
Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund
Mount Pleasant Track Club
Mount Pleasant Academy

This race features one of the best swag bags around, lots of give a ways all day, great food, cool shirts with Peyton’s artwork, finisher medals for all races and one of a kind awards!

Price Increase / Registration:

Registration opens September 10, 2018 (Peyton's Birthday)

Last year the relay events sold out first and then the solo ultra and then the 5K. Due to parking limits and the size of the trail we are limiting total registration so please sign up as soon as possible.

If the event has not sold out, registration prices go up January 1, 2019 and February 20, 2019. There will be NO registration available the morning of the event or at packet pickup. 

Must register by February 14, 2019 to be guaranteed an event shirt and bag.

Cancellation and Refund Policy:

This event will happen rain or shine (we always run in the rain) and under no circumstance can we issue refunds. 

Registration:
Solo 10x5K $80
2 person team $130 ($65 per person) - SOLD OUT
5 person team $275 ($55 per person) - SOLD OUT
Single 5K $30 (kids 12 and under $20)

See registration site for more details.
9/18/2018 09:02:00 PM
Five years ago today we were a normal family...


Jennifer and I were in Las Vegas getting ready to run the Rock n Roll Marathon with friends. Our sweet boy, Peyton, was with his grandparents back at home. 


Peyton was a star athlete, amazing student and an even better person. We were an incredibly happy couple with a healthy child and a love for adventures and life. 


We had never even thought about epilepsy or what it meant to have a child with epilepsy. We had never thought of our child being anything but our P. We had never imagined life without him.

That was the last day we lived with that innocence...

 It’s strange to think back to that time. We were so different. Sure we had concerns and fears, but nothing like this. We were just normal parents. We always lived life to its fullest. We did amazing things together. We laughed and played because it was what felt right to us. We loved each other because our souls were connected at the core. That was such an amazing time.

The next day we would hear about Peyton’s first seizure. We would learn that his grandparents saw it as he woke up after falling asleep on the boat. We would hear the fear in their voices and we would spend the day talking to our friends in the medical field about what we should do. We would rationalize it and we would face our fears of what this meant for our boy, for our family, for our lives.

I will never forget that phone call with Peyton. Our strong, ferocious, caring nine year old little boy. He did not want to tell us because he didn’t want it to “mess up our race”. And I will never forget him saying “I was so scared daddy” and the feeling of complete helplessness.

Six months later Peyton would be gone...
It’s strange to be parents of a two year old now. I don’t know if we have more fears or if we just have less innocence. We are so different now. How could we not be? We know first hand what truly is a parent’s worst nightmare.

We still love our adventures and we still love each other. We will never stop loving Peyton, we just have his little brother Miles who deserves every bit of that love as well (and he gives it right back to us).
We truly live life like there is no tomorrow.

If we could, we would all write our future out in a book and have it end the way we wanted. But everyone has a different book so we just get to write our present and live it. Maybe it’s the fact that we have lost that innocence that makes me believe that you have to write each page like its your best work ever and live it like its your last.
#dontwasteamoment
12/01/2017 09:45:00 PM
The solo 50K and the 10x5K relay events are officially SOLD OUT!

We can't wait to see all 130 ultra runners and 48 crazy relay teams at Peyton's Race on March 11th.

Now it's time to get all the 5K runners and walkers to sign up!

Don't miss your chance to be part of the coolest trail race in the Lowcountry!

#RUN4P

Register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=38264
1/02/2017 04:12:00 PM
Join us for the second annual "Peyton's Wild and Wacky 5K Ultra" on March 12, 2016!



Last year we had a huge turnout, a great race and a lot of fun. This year will be even better!

Register at UltraSignUp: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=34011

This race is in honor of Peyton Moore, our nine year old son who passed away in 2013. P was a local runner, track and field star and all around great kid who lived life to the fullest. We could not think of a better way to remember our boy than spending a day running and hanging out with all our runner friends.


Read about Peyton at www.RUN4P.com

Just like Peyton, this race will be very wild and wacky. Join us for a 10x5K (50K) Ultra or come out and run the 5K event right in the middle of the ultra. Run the 50K solo or make a relay team with 2 or 5 of your friends. All races will be held on the Laurel Hill Trail in Mount Pleasant, SC.

All proceeds from the race will be donated to Peyton's favorite organizations;
Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund
Mount Pleasant Track Club
Mount Pleasant Academy



Register at UltraSignUp: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=34011

This race features one of the best swag bags around, lots of give a ways all day, great food, cool shirts with Peyton’s artwork, finisher medals for all races and one of a kind hand painted awards created by Peyton’s friends.

Update (2-27-16)

Race is almost sold out!
5K - 76 spots left
10x5K solo - 7 spots left
10x5K relay (2 person team) - SOLD OUT
10x5K relay (5 person team) - SOLD OUT

Don't miss the coolest trail race in the Lowcountry!



Register at UltraSignUp: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=34011



#RUN4P
2/27/2016 09:32:00 PM

Many of you who follow my blog know about the passing of my son, Peyton Moore (June 4, 2013).

He was my inspiration and the love of my life...

Because my wife Jennifer and my son allowed me to share our lives so openly, many of you have come to know them from my posts, pictures and videos.

I do not have the words to express my grief, nor would I ever try to express my wife's feelings. I can only say that right now our world has been turned upside down and we are devastated.

My friends and family have given us so much love and support.

The running community has been more than amazing. We are so grateful to the Charleston Running Club for hosting Peyton's reception and to all the runners coming out in force to honor my son this past Sunday for a group run with my Couch to 5K runners.

We were so honored to have the Marines as Peyton's pallbearers and overwhelmed by the unbelievable escort and honors given to our son by all the Law Enforcement community.

Thank you to the thousands of people who have written, called, and showered us with love and support.

I do not know where my life will be led from this point, but I will do everything in my power to honor my beautiful, sweet, caring boy.

He was our miracle, our love, our angel...




Video from our local ABC news which covered my son's funeral:

WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather





6/17/2013 12:00:00 PM

I talk about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle all the time, but getting the chance to run with my son as he finished his first 10K was much more than a benefit it was a gift...


After a long week of traveling, running and whitewater rafting for my son's spring break we finally made it home Friday night.

Me and Peyton standing at the starting line
My whole family was pretty tired, but the next day was going to be a big day. This would be my nine year old son's first big race (and when I say big I mean BIG). This would not only be his first 10K, this was the Cooper River Bridge Run with 40,000 participants!

We woke up early and my wife drove us to the starting area. She gave us both kisses and hugs and wished us luck on the race then headed back through the craziness.

We walked to the starting line and I dropped our bag and then made our way to our starting corral.

Peyton wanted to be up front so we moved as close as we could. As the other corrals started and we began to move up, we somehow ended up at the very front of our corral.

The picture I've posted was taken by the Chart Group and they have been nice enough to let me share it on my site.

It is a truly awesome site to see thousands of runners waiting to start a race, but to have a picture of me and my son standing at the starting line with a sea of humanity behind us is just incredible!

Peyton and I ran the race and finished in Downtown Charleston in a little over an hour.

In true over competitive style, my son was
unhappy with his time, but as we moved around the finish festival and he saw the thousands of other runners still coming in he began to realize what an accomplishment he had achieved. He even started talking about how he was going to train harder next year to get a better time (oh what have I created).

We had a really good time walking around downtown and then took the shuttle back to the start and then walked home.

I am pretty sure he did not stop talking the entire time.

As I stared at him while he talked about school, friends, track and a million other things, I could not help
thinking about the many times we had been on the Bridge together. From the days that I pushed Peyton up the Bridge in his stroller to the first time he ran all the way to the top.


It was so cool to think back and remember how these times had been such a big part of my journey and my story and how lucky I am now that I was getting to be part of Peyton's own journey and his own story....

For more "stuff" checkout my Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.


Want to run a 5K?  Get your Summer started the right way by joining the next Couch to 5K group!
Register today for the class starting May 5th!

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by ACTIVE Network
4/09/2013 04:07:00 PM

Photo Friday (I do know that those two words don't start with the same letter).  Anyway, its Friday and I feel like sharing some pics of my boy!

Peyton taking 2nd place at the Life Point 5K
2012 Catch the Leprechaun 5K
My USATF Nationals Javelin Thrower
After his first solo 5k - Charlie Post Classic
Early Morning Run (the Mission)
My very first running partner



For more "stuff" checkout my Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.
3/08/2013 02:31:00 PM






For more "stuff" checkout my Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.
1/06/2013 08:04:00 PM

A few pictures that motivate me...

Peyton and I on a mission!


Peyton helping me up the Bridge.

CSR, me, LA and Ninja Stuntman - Bulldog Challenge


LA, CSR, WTF and me - Disney Marathon (WTF's first!)



Little P throwing the Javelin!


For more "stuff" checkout my Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.
11/16/2012 10:32:00 AM


Run Forest Run 5k (Peyton was six years old)
For most people, sitting around eating snacks and watching TV with their family is normal.  If you do it long enough (or too much), everything else seems abnormal…

My son has learned that all the adventures we have are just part of our lives.

For the most part he thinks all the races, workouts and crazy runs we go on are normal.

Take this past weekend; he thought it was completely normal to wake up before 6:00am to watch the Olympic Women’s Marathon.  He also thought it was normal to go next door and ask his buddy to go to the track, run a trail and go swimming (before 9:00am).

I loved that he never thought twice about running a two mile trail run, throwing javelin in the middle of the football field and then running 100 meter timed sprints on the track (his idea, not mine).  He made it seem so normal and fun that his buddy was just as into it as he was.

Polar Bear Plunge - just another normal day
This week I decided to start doing the Insanity workout again.  My son jumped right in and did it with me (well, most of it).  The point is, he saw the whole thing as normal (and he should!).

I am convinced that this is the only way to keep our kids healthy.  My son eats crap at times (me too), but he knows it’s not what he should be eating all the time.  He watches TV and plays video games too, but he knows it’s not what he should be doing all the time.
 
If we can make it normal to do these things in moderation, but also make all the other things that seem so strange to kids normal (like eating well and exercising) we may actually be able to make a dent in this huge problem we are facing.

Just my opinion...


Moore On Running is on Facebook and Twitter!
8/09/2012 06:34:00 PM

This past weekend my wife and I took our eight year old son, Peyton, to Newport News, VA, for the USATF Region III Championship.

Once again, my son showed what you can accomplish with hard work and determination.

There were a lot of boys throwing javelin in his division so the group was divided into two "flights".  The top eight boys would move on to the finals.


Peyton was in the higher seeded group so he was in the second flight.  As I watched him line up and stand in the middle of those boys it was obvious that he was the youngest (and smallest) of them all.  He's eight, but because he turns nine later this year he competes in the 9-10 year old age group.


Although I tried to limit his expectations, he had already decided that his goal was to make it to Nationals.

All season I could feel the parent in me wanting to protect him from disappointment and thinking it was okay if he came in last place (my thoughts, not his).


I don't ever like to set low expectations for myself and I have taught Peyton about setting goals and that we learn from failure as much as from success.  But for what ever reason (parental protectiveness maybe?) I wanted to try to keep Peyton from being disappointed.  I knew he had done well the year before, but I just was not sure how this season would go.


Right before he threw I wanted to run over and tell him that it was okay no matter how he did and not to worry about where he placed, luckily I was too far away...

As soon as I saw him set up for his run and charge at the line, I could see the determination in his face.  When he reached the line to throw, he screamed and let the javelin fly (Peyton is one of the few kids that yells as he throws the javelin.and it's so cool when he does it).


He ended up not only getting to the finals, but placing in the top five and qualifying for the USA Track & Field National Championship in Baltimore, MD!

I am so very proud of him.

He set his own goals at the beginning of the year and with hard work and determination he accomplished each one as the season progressed (did I teach him that or is he teaching me?)...


If you would like to donate to Peyton's Fundraiser for this USATF National Meet there is a box on the top right corner of my blog.  Or you can click here (Donate).
7/13/2012 11:23:00 AM
Cooper River Bridge
Sometimes I need a little motivation and a reminder of why I smile so much...

Like when my alarm clock goes off early in the morning and I just want to go back to sleep.

Lucky for me, I got up this morning and I went for a run.

Not only did I get to run over the Cooper River Bridge and see an amazing sunrise this morning, I was experienced one of my favorite things.

As my running partners and I made it to the end of our run I saw a runner who had started with some of my other friends.  She had a glow about her and was smiling.  I asked her how her run went and she said (joyfully) that she had run to the other side and back for the first time!

She was so excited and so were we!  It was so cool getting to be there to experience that joy with her and it just made my day.

Charleston Runs
Last night, as I was leaving work I saw three of my co workers getting ready to go for a run.  All three of them are new to running (two of them were in my last Couch to 5K group along with four other people from my office).

As I walked passed them I wished them a good run and could not stop smiling.  I still can not believe that there are now so many people running in my office!

Later, when I got home, one of those co workers called me.  She was so excited because she had just run her longest distance without stopping!  I could hear her joy and again I could not stop smiling...


Today, I stumbled upon an interview I had done with Endurance Planet about my son completing his first "Kids" Marathon.  Even though the interview was about my son, it reminded me why I share my adventures with everyone.  It reminded me why I write this crazy blog and why I wish everyone could feel this joy that motivates me so much.

It reminded me why I smile so much.

Smiling with my wife during one of her longest runs

Check out the podcast at http://www.enduranceplanet.com/three-beautiful-words-i-did-it

Peyton after completing his Kids Marathon
3/07/2012 03:04:00 PM
I was reviewing my son's first grade journal and was cracking up at all the funny stuff he writes.  I was surprised to see that he wrote about our trip to the Warrior Dash last month.  It was so cute I thought I would share it with you all.  I also could not think of a better person to be my very first guest blogger:


My Weekend: the Warrior Dash
by: Peyton


Sunday, at 5:00am in the morning me and my dad drove to North Charleston.  Then we met two of my dad's friends and we got in my dad's friend's van (it was an SUV) and drove to Mountain City, Georgia to do the Warrior Dash.  It is a two mile run and a one mile obstacle course.  The obstacles are where you climb over a cargo net , go threw big plastic like pipes things, go threw mud and spinning logs in the water and the last thing is when you jump over fire pits as big as a king size bed that is how long they are.


When we were done at about 3:45pm I washed my dad off with a hose.  I put it on jet and sprayed my dad in the face with the hose!  Before we left a helicopter took off like ten feet away from us.


At 4:00pm we left to go back.  It took us six hours to get there and seven to get back (it was closer to five hours each way).  At about 6:30pm we went to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel.  I got gum there and beat my dad at checkers.  We didn't get back until 11:30pm (school night, what a bad parent...).  I only got seven hours of sleep.  It was very fun in Georgia!
6/07/2010 06:35:00 PM
This past Sunday I drove up to Mountain City, GA, and ran the Warrior Dash!!!

"Warrior Dash is the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes. This running series is held on some of the nation's most demanding and unique terrain. Participants will conquer extreme obstacles and celebrate their feat with music, beer, warrior helmets and muddy shorts."

I drove up with my six year old son (Peyton) and two of my friends (Coach Greg and Allen).

We left Charleston at around 6:00am.  The drive took about five hours and as soon as we got to Mountain City I knew we were in for a treat.  The small town was overflowing with all kinds of crazy people getting ready to run the race and muddy people who had already gone through the course.  Over 14,000 people had signed up for the race (Saturday and Sunday).

We found a place to park, paid a local guy $10, and walked across the street to get our packets.  It was
crazy how many people were dressed up for the race (including me).  I had decided the day before to dress up as a warrior (Spartan Warrior).

As we made it up the hill to the packet pick up we could hear the band and crowd.  When we made it over the hill we saw people getting ready to race, washing off in the lake, and laying out in the field listening to the band.  It was crazy!!!

After putting our things away we made it back to the starting line for our 1:30pm heat.  I took off my cape and moved toward the front of the line.

The start was so cool.  There was a countdown and then fire shot up from the sides of the starting line.  We ran straight down a hill for the first half mile then turned onto a trail.  The first obstacle was running over planks and mounds through the water.  Then running chest deep in the water for about twenty meters.  The water was cold, but felt great!  We climbed over a hill and then ran to the second obstacle.  There were tons of tires and I decided it would be faster to just leap over them and land on the side of each tire (it worked).  We then had to jump over four walls that were about four feet high.  From here we ran up a trail to a slanted wall with a rope.  I climbed it without any problem.  We headed up the trail and then climbed a rope ladder up and down.  Next we ran up a trail and then had to jump over old cars (loved this section).

The trail was steep and most people were walking up at this point.  I finally found a way around a few people and started running again.  The trail started to come back down and everything was muddy.  We came out and had to run through a tunnel then kept running down hill.  We ran to the mud pit and had to low crawl through the mud and under barbed wire (real barbed wire).  When I first jumped into the mud pit my shoe got stuck and came off my foot!  I had to dig it out and then my other shoe came off.  I ended up crawling through the pit with both shoes in my hands.  I carried them for the rest of the race.

After the mud pit I ran to another water obstacle where I had to roll over logs in the water.  From there I ran up a hill and saw the "Fire Pits"!  It was too cool.  As I ran up to the obstacle I heard the commentator yelling, "Here comes a real warrior! He's going barefoot through the fire!".  I could feel the fire and was pumped as I ran down the last hill to the finish line!


What an awesome race!   
5/27/2010 03:33:00 PM
This is my last weekend before the race next week and I am in full taper mode.


I ran seven miles on Saturday morning.  I was not looking for a fast pace, but got one anyway...  We stayed at close to 8:00 pace the whole way, except for the way up the Copper River Bridge (9:20) and I had a sub 8:00 on the way back down.  My legs felt really tight and I am hoping this is still from my traveling last week.

I coached my son's soccer team from 11:00am to 12:00pm and then ran four and a half miles from the field back to my house (9:15).  It was warm, but I felt good (and it was cool that my family was there to see me off and greet me when I got home).

Today I rested (kind of)...
I did go for a hike and kicked the soccer ball around with my son (and took care of my sick wife), but no running.

The trail my son and I hiked, Patriots Point Trail, was really nice and I am going to incorporate it into some of my runs after this week.  I think it was about one and a half miles long, shaded and came out on the Charleston Harbor.  It was right behind where my son plays soccer (I had no idea it was even there).  I wonder how many more jewels like this are waiting to be discovered.



Oh, if you ever wondered "is all that running worth it?".  To be able to do this kind of stuff with my son, its way more than just "worth it"...
4/25/2010 10:34:00 PM
I created a new running log for my six year old son, "The 100 Mile Adventure Log".  There is a link to download it on the right hand column.

Peyton is so excited, he has already completed two miles!  Who knew that giving a kid a chart to color would make him so excited about running?  He even went to the track with me this morning.  He did about 3/4 of a mile (he has the Cooper River Bridge Kids Race this afternoon and it is a 1/4 mile).

Yesterday was Boot Camp Graduation.  No workout, just got our t-shirts and some awards were given out.  The next session starts in about two weeks.  Not sure how much I will be doing, I am going to ramp up my mileage and sometimes Boot Camp does not go so well with running high mileage.

Today I did an easy track workout to dial in my pace for tomorrow's race:
1x400 warm up
Drills
2x400 (1:57) full recovery
2x800 (3:54) full recovery
1x400 cool down

I love the Bridge Run, but it is crowded (close to 40,000 people) and it does have a crazy incline at mile three (the Bridge).  I have no idea how I will do, but I am going to give it my best shot.  I have already decided that I am okay with puking at the end of the race :)

Don't forget to sign up for the Feetures! Socks giveaway.  You get to choose two pair of the best socks around and I will ship them to you.
3/26/2010 08:48:00 AM
I did not set a personal best; win the race; or even place in my age group, but this was the best 5k of my life!

Tonight I ran with my six year old son as he completed a monumental goal.  A goal that he set and never thought about not completing.  A goal that most adults would never contemplate.  After three months, he finished his own Marathon!

It started on December 14th when we ran the Charleston Reindeer Run 5k.  After that race, my son decided he wanted to run a marathon.  I like to think of myself as a pretty good parent and a responsible adult, so I was not planning on letting my six year old son run 26.2 miles in one shot.  I also knew that you only get one chance at some of this stuff, so I did not want to discourage him from doing something so great.  I told him we would figure out a way for him to accomplish this goal.

I researched kid's running books and articles on web sites.  I noticed that several marathons have started to add a "Kids Marathon" to the finish.  Kids run with their families until they reach a certain point and then they finish at the marathon finish line.  The marathon I am doing this year is not until November and it is in Indianapolis.  So I decided to just print out a running chart for my son and worry about the finish later.

The chart was set up in squares that could be colored in at half mile increments.  My son was thrilled and did at least one mile per week until tonight's race.  About a week ago I realized he was going to finish soon.  I looked at the race calendar and saw the first annual Catch the Leprechaun 5k in our hometown.  It was a night race in the middle of the week on St. Patrick's Day, what could be better?

When I told Peyton about the race he was pumped!  I could see that his mind was working and I asked him what he was thinking.  So he completely floors me by telling me he wants to raise money for the injured Marines (this is what I did last year when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon).  After some research I found that I could create a donation web site for his race.  We worked on the wording together and he came up with "If my dad can do it, so can I!!!".  I sent it out to family members and my friends thinking we might raise $40 to $50 max.  As of tonight, the total was over $700!  How amazing is that?

I picked Peyton up at school and we went home to get ready for the race.  Peyton was really excited - ok, he was out of control :)

I had made a shirt for him with his own logo and a list of people who had made donations to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund in his name.  We put on his race number, he stretched out and was ready to go.  We got to the Mount Pleasant Waterfront Park and met my wife Jennifer.  Peyton ran up to her and gave her a big hug and the excitement started all over again.

It was cold and raining, but there seemed to be a good turnout for the race.  Peyton wanted to go to the front of the starting line.  We made our way to the start, but I made sure we were on the far side so we would not be in the way of the fast runners.  The start of the race was preceded by a Leprechaun running in front of us (so cool).

I could tell that Peyton was going out too fast and was almost at a full sprint at the start of the race.  He didn't  last long.  He slowed down and people started passing us, I could see that he was starting to get discouraged.  I worked with him to keep a steady, slow, pace and things started to look much better.  We were close to the one mile mark when the worst possible thing could happen, Peyton's shoe started to fall apart!  I could not believe it...

A few days ago I bought Peyton new shoes, but they were just not worn in enough and he wanted to wear his old shoes for the race.  Well, after three months of him beating those shoes up they had enough and started to come apart.  I did my best to keep them together, but he was having trouble running and was really upset.  I could have cried myself.  He had worked so hard to get to this point.  I picked him up and held him for a while.  I was about to turn around and take him back to the start (a really nice Mount Pleasant police officer even offered to give us a ride).  I had only taken a few steps back when my son said he wanted to finish the race.  What do you do?

I knew we were not going to go very fast, but that the shoes could last until the end.  I said ok and decided at that moment that I needed to make this race a lot more fun.  It had rained pretty hard and there were water puddles everywhere, so I made a game of us running through every puddle we could find.  From that point on we had a blast!

Peyton was back to himself and was having fun.  We were laughing and running and people around us were laughing. As we got close to the end, I could hear Peyton saying "I can do this! I can do this!".  He was still having trouble running in his shoes, but he was trying his hardest to run that last mile.

We came around the corner and saw the finish line.  We could see my wife, her parents and our friends.  My running coach (Greg) even came back to run with us.  As we arrived at the finish line the "Leprechaun" came out and let Peyton chase him to the end!  My wife ran up to Peyton and gave him a huge hug and then put a finisher's medal around his neck (we had it made for him).


I will never be able to express how proud I am of my son.  I know the emotions and challenges one goes through when running a marathon for the first time and I can tell you that he made it through his own challenges to finish that race.



We drove home, had dinner and then I put Peyton to bed.  Before I read to him, he colored in the last three squares of his running chart.  He did it very carefully and gave a lot of thought to each color he chose.  When he finished he held up his chart with a big smile and said "I did it!!!".

Yep, that was the best 5k of my life...


If you would like to donate to the Semper Fi Fund please visit Peyton's web site at:
3/17/2010 11:12:00 PM
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