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12-Year-Old Trail Running Phenom Wins XTERRA 21k (Read 1054 times)


Petco Run/Walk/Wag 5k

    Interesting story. A bit hyped but...

    http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/outdoor-adventure/12-year-old-trail-running-phenom-wins-xterra-21k.html

    bob e v
    2014 goals: keep on running! Is there anything more than that?

    Complete the last 3 races in the Austin Distance Challenge, Rogue 30k, 3M Half, Austin Full

    Break the 1000 mi barrier!

    History: blessed heart attack 3/15/2008; c25k july 2008 first 5k 10/26/2008 on 62nd birthday.

    Purdey


    Self anointed title

      I fear a sad ending to this.  It smacks of Dad pushing them rather too hard. Racing every weekend?  Sleeping in the car?  Do they get to play with their friends and goof around?  I think the fun will very quickly vanish for them.

       

       


      Feeling the growl again

        I fear a sad ending to this.  It smacks of Dad pushing them rather too hard. Racing every weekend?  Sleeping in the car?  Do they get to play with their friends and goof around?  I think the fun will very quickly vanish for them.

         

        Yup.  Sometimes part of being a parent is knowing when to hold your kids back.  Some of Dad's quotes disturb me a little...though I'd hate to judge on such little context.

        "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

         

        I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

         

        Purdey


        Self anointed title

          Spaniel is right - I shouldn't judge on such scant evidence - maybe the girls are pushing him to take them to races.  It just doesn't come across that way.  There are way too many examples of kids who look superb at that age and then something happens : puberty / boys / girls / all three.

           

           

          Wing


          Joggaholic

            I saw her briefly when she ran her first marathon last year. I was doing my long run along the same trail, and the marathon was not a closed-course one (my first accidental banditing). A fellow runner who did run in the same marathon had the following to say:

             

            "... she was crying at some point during the run, and her dad was pushing her to keep going..."

             

            "...her dad was on a bike following her..."

             

            My friend was not impressed with the father at all (well, she's a mom, so that's probably an universal sentiment)

            stadjak


            Interval Junkie --Nobby

              "... she was crying at some point during the run, and her dad was pushing her to keep going..."

               

              Sounds like my first marathon.

              2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

              Wing


              Joggaholic

                Sounds like my first marathon.

                 

                Hard to imagine you crying like a little girl, at least from your profile pic... Smile

                Purdey


                Self anointed title

                   

                  "... she was crying at some point during the run, and her dad was pushing her to keep going..."

                   

                  "...her dad was on a bike following her..."

                   

                   

                   

                   

                  This is what I feared. That doesn't sound fun for a 12yr old.

                   

                   


                  Best Present Ever

                    Well, my almost 12 year old daughter has cried during most of her races. In fact, in a race a week ago, she declared to me while still on the racecourse "you have taken what little pleasure I might have gotten from this race by the throat and STRANGLED it."  Wow.  However, these are all 5k or 4 mile races.  She does 2-3 a year.  And every time she begs me to sign her up.  She loves the saying-she's-going-race, saying-she-raced, wearing the t-shirt and putting the stickers on her school notebooks, and, in the case of an annual all-women 4 mile race, volunteering at packet pickup, which she's done now for 3 years.  and of course the doughnuts after the race (and before if the post-race food is set up early enough).  

                     

                    Both my little kids ran a new years day 5K last January, and both ended up crying during the race. (My daughter because her 8 year old brother was beating her, 8 year old because he ran on when I went to tend to crying sister, then got scared because he was by himself.)  It was not my finest parenting moment.  I'm glad we weren't written up in a national publication and then discussion on a message board.  And that there was no cell phone coverage on the course  for folks to immediately notify CPS.  


                    #artbydmcbride

                      I've seen kids in little 1k fun runs burst into tears in the first 200 meters of races all.the.time.  And they are all excited beforehand and all smiles afterwards. 

                      Heck, I feel like crying during races also.

                       

                       

                      mamaofthree, your DD sounds like she has a great penchant for drama!  Big grin  Future stage star?

                       

                      Runners run


                      Feeling the growl again

                          I'm glad we weren't written up in a national publication and then discussion on a message board.  And that there was no cell phone coverage on the course  for folks to immediately notify CPS.  

                         

                        Yeah.  That's why I try to remain a bit neutral on the whole thing.

                         

                        I think it is a GOOD thing that they don't train during the week.  Heck, racing 1-2 times every week there is no need to at that age.  That being said, if racing on the weekends is what qualified as training for my kids, there is NO WAY IN HELL they would be running marathons!  THAT much I will judge on. Smile

                        "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                         

                        I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                         

                        The Plodder


                          Extremely difficult to comment directly on the family featured in the link (apart from 'where is their mother'?), so I can only relate to my kids running.

                           

                          I have two sons - about a year ago there started up a local parkrun, a free to run, timed 5k in a local park (there are well over 100 of these across the world) although I think only one in the States,. I started to go and it was not long before my eldest joined me, and now his younger brother comes too.

                          Both seem to take it in turns to adopt the walk/run strategy, and they never both seem to have a 'going' day at the same time - our 'runs' range from 30 to 45 mins. I always run with whoever is the slowest, and on a course where visibility can be difficult, this presents me with a problem when its the 7 year old off in front - fortunately the other regular runners know my kids so they look out for them.

                          To me this is the ideal introduction for them - its the same route each week, if they want to go for a PB that's great, if not then we will happily come in last place (but not without the obligatory sprint finish), there is absolutely no pressure from me - if they want to miss a week, fine, but its great as something that we can together that doesn't cost money and that involves being outdoors and I hope it lays the foundations for them to keep it up - not necessarily be going out and winning races, just taking part.


                          Feeling the growl again

                            ... something that we can together that doesn't cost money and that involves being outdoors and I hope it lays the foundations for them to keep it up - not necessarily be going out and winning races, just taking part.

                             

                            Good job, Dad...

                            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                             

                            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                             

                              I have 2 sons, a 19 year old and a 9 year old. For my oldest, we decided early on to burst his athletic bubble and let him know he wouldn't be pitching in game 7 of the world series. He was good, but he needed to know that the world has other plans. The athlete is the Pawn in chess match. The value is in "management" of a team. My youngest son is a swimmer, and he thinks he'll be the next Michael Phelps. His dream is still alive. Sometimes parents run the risk of destroying their kids by prolonging a dream. They look like pricks as parents at the 'ball field' and destroy the innocence of youth. I've seen it too often, and still see it with a couple parents of my oldest sons friends.

                              Life Goals:

                              #1: Do what I can do

                              #2: Enjoy life

                               

                               

                              MrH


                                As the kids apparently don't do any training, my instinct is that the dad isn't pushing them.

                                The process is the goal.

                                Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.

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