There was a local kids' running race this morning, and we signed up both boys to run in their respective age races. Luke didn't want to run the half-mile race, and by the time we got there and he saw the crowd, he was even more sure of it, so he sat it out on the sidelines (whoops, that race t-shirt just cost us $25). But Zach didn't know enough to know he had a choice, and the two-year-olds almost all seemed to be running with parents, so when the time came for his 25-meter race, he happily took off with Dave.
Turns out if you have a bunch of two-year-olds running, it's generally chaos, and who knows who really finished first. But Zach made it through the chute, got his finishers' medal, and everyone was happy, so we were ready to call it a day and head back to the car. But then I heard them announcing the results for the kids' races, and just on a whim, we decided to wait.
A few minutes later we heard the announcement: "And for the two-year-old boys, in second place...Zachary - " and we whooped with joy as we helped Zach up to the Olympic-style podium. There he stood as they gave him a special 2nd-place medal to wear around his neck. Did any of the kids have any idea what was going on? Of course not. But it was oh-so-picture-worthy.
Of course these stories should always come with a real-life footnote: This time, the irony was that Luke was driven mad with jealousy about Zach's medals; and Zach was singularly uninterested in the medals. All he cared about was the fact that he had found a deflated, dirty blue balloon, which he hung on to for the duration of the race and afterwards. Because it's a
balloon. So there you have it. Race over.
There was a local kids' running race this morning, and we signed up both boys to run in their respective age races. Luke didn't want to run the half-mile race, and by the time we got there and he saw the crowd, he was even more sure of it, so he sat it out on the sidelines (whoops, that race t-shirt just cost us $25). But Zach didn't know enough to know he had a choice, and the two-year-olds almost all seemed to be running with parents, so when the time came for his 25-meter race, he happily took off with Dave.
Turns out if you have a bunch of two-year-olds running, it's generally chaos, and who knows who really finished first. But Zach made it through the chute, got his finishers' medal, and everyone was happy, so we were ready to call it a day and head back to the car. But then I heard them announcing the results for the kids' races, and just on a whim, we decided to wait.
A few minutes later we heard the announcement: "And for the two-year-old boys, in second place...Zachary - " and we whooped with joy as we helped Zach up to the Olympic-style podium. There he stood as they gave him a special 2nd-place medal to wear around his neck. Did any of the kids have any idea what was going on? Of course not. But it was oh-so-picture-worthy.
Of course these stories should always come with a real-life footnote: This time, the irony was that Luke was driven mad with jealousy about Zach's medals; and Zach was singularly uninterested in the medals. All he cared about was the fact that he had found a deflated, dirty blue balloon, which he hung on to for the duration of the race and afterwards. Because it's a balloon. So there you have it. Race over.
2 comments:
hey - that's a nice pic of you and the boy!
Thanks! I think the dirty balloon adds a nice touch.
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