A word to the youngsters who want to participate in adult races: Do not start in the front!
Most of the kids who run 5Ks know enough to hang back because the adults up front are way, way, faster. But at some races, there are the little snot-noses who think they're tough (or just jokesters) and they plant themselves in the front of the starting pack with the adult athletes. These brats need to be controlled and, for some reason, the race directors refuse to do anything about it. And that's too bad because aside from the fact that they will cause serious runners extra seconds in trying to maneuver around them, they really can get hurt, trampled under foot.
Still, the little pukes at the Verona race, in front of me with grins that you just wanted to smack, were saying "yes" when the race director asked them point blank if they could run five-minute miles.
I will probably always wonder whether I could've gotten a PR at that race. I may very well have lost four seconds trying to get around those brats. But I know I only have myself to blame for not grabbing them by the ear and personally dragging them to the back.
After the race, I found one particularly offensive smart aleck...and his mother. I said to the mom, "Are you this boy's mother?" She said she was, so I asked her for a word with her son.
"Is it bad?" she asked.
I proceeded to tell her what happened then politely scolded the boy, right in front of his mom. The lying monster actually denied saying that he could run a five-minute mile. But I hopefully set him and the mom straight.
Bad kid, bad parent. Don't let it be you. If you're a kid, get back. You can't run faster than the adults. If you're a parent and you have a kid like that, shame on you. If you are a race director and you're not controlling this, get it together. Some of us take these races seriously because, really, we don't have much else in life. Your kids have their whole lives in front of them. Me, all I have is this. Don't ruin it for me.
Most of the kids who run 5Ks know enough to hang back because the adults up front are way, way, faster. But at some races, there are the little snot-noses who think they're tough (or just jokesters) and they plant themselves in the front of the starting pack with the adult athletes. These brats need to be controlled and, for some reason, the race directors refuse to do anything about it. And that's too bad because aside from the fact that they will cause serious runners extra seconds in trying to maneuver around them, they really can get hurt, trampled under foot.
Still, the little pukes at the Verona race, in front of me with grins that you just wanted to smack, were saying "yes" when the race director asked them point blank if they could run five-minute miles.
I will probably always wonder whether I could've gotten a PR at that race. I may very well have lost four seconds trying to get around those brats. But I know I only have myself to blame for not grabbing them by the ear and personally dragging them to the back.
After the race, I found one particularly offensive smart aleck...and his mother. I said to the mom, "Are you this boy's mother?" She said she was, so I asked her for a word with her son.
"Is it bad?" she asked.
I proceeded to tell her what happened then politely scolded the boy, right in front of his mom. The lying monster actually denied saying that he could run a five-minute mile. But I hopefully set him and the mom straight.
Bad kid, bad parent. Don't let it be you. If you're a kid, get back. You can't run faster than the adults. If you're a parent and you have a kid like that, shame on you. If you are a race director and you're not controlling this, get it together. Some of us take these races seriously because, really, we don't have much else in life. Your kids have their whole lives in front of them. Me, all I have is this. Don't ruin it for me.
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