The Jr. Spartan Race

If you're a parent who's been contemplating alternative methods of teaching character to your children, I strongly recommend signing them up (and running alongside) for a Jr. Spartan race. The course is either 1/2 or 1 mile (your choice) and complete with scaled versions of the same obstacles that adults will face on the regular course. 

This past weekend I had the privilege of running alongside our three boys at the Tri-State Spartan Sprint in Tuxedo, NY. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Yup that's me and my Goruck Echo after finishing my wave 3 hours earlier. It took me a little over 2.5 hours to finish the 6 mile Sprint course and honestly all I thought about was hoping to finish my course in time to be with our sons. So - first of all, I highly recommend that if you're fan of running Spartan races that you choose to do one or the other. Run your race one day and sign the kids up for the next day - or vice versa. 

The start line was buzzing as we approached. Parents were reassuring their sons and daughters. Kids were complaining about the heat and the sun. Lucas had long decided he was quitting the race altogether. His feet hurt and wanted Mami to carry him. I had to whisper a couple of incentives in his ear and some reassuring on my own. Once I found out that I could run with the boys and help them out along the way, I was determined to do whatever I could to A. capture these moments and B. get the kids to complete every obstacle. 

Some of the obstacles definitely required some teamwork and I was happy to see other parents and volunteers jumping in when necessary to help avoid injury. It was evident early on that the kids were going to have have to be kind and motivate each other, be humble and ask for help when needed, and be wise to follow the lead of someone who knew what they were doing - all valuable lessons that kids rarely learn inside a classroom.

Here's another one of those life lessons: There's always time to smile - even when you're not that into getting muddy. Over the wall, under the wall, through the wall - just like the "real" Spartan race!  

Bear crawling under nets was fun!

Lucas couldn't keep up with his brothers as there was some running in between each of the obstacles so he asked me early on if I could fireman carry him through parts of the course. Naturally, I obliged. Again - the idea here is that it's ok to ask for help when you need to get through the tough times. The mud pits were pretty deep for this little guy and he freaked out when a volunteer started hosing the racers down as they climbed in and out of the pits. It was nice to be there to help him through it and even sweeter to see our older  kiddos get through it on their own.

Luis enjoyed himself completely throughout the course and was so proud of his finisher's medal that he even decided to wear it for church the next day. 

One of my favorite moments came during the "race" when Javi says "This is the worst day of my life." He's not a fan of getting dirty - let alone muddy and he was already exhausted from being out in the sun for a few hours before his wave. Javi's attitude changed after he finished the race and I shared a different perspective. His "worst day" was far better than the sort of day people had who stayed on their couches and accomplished nothing today. On this day, Javi - alongside his brothers (and teammate Baron) accomplished something that they didn't think they could do - and earned a Spartan medal for finishing their race.  

Thanks to Lily for taking these pics and thanks to Baron for crushing this course with our kids. He was trained to take on the mile-long course, dominated each of the obstacles he faced, but hung back with us and encouraged our kiddos throughout. 

"If I want to run fast, I run alone. If I want to run far, I run with my team."

These events are called "races" but their really opportunity for us to do in a short amount of time what and how we aspire to live life on a daily basis. Do your family a favor and sign up for your next Spartan Race together. And save 15% off when you use this coupon!

Oh, that's right. This is a bow tie blog. Here are the bow ties that the boys wore for church yesterday. Check out Lucas' Spartan Bow tie I made using a finisher's tee I earned at last year's Sprint in PA.