Friday, February 17, 2012

Canadian Death Race 2012 - A Family Affair

When we started this adventure, Nicole and I were planning to make a family vacation out of the trip to Grande Cache. This of course would include our eleven old son T and our soon-to-be 5 year old boy C. Of course the logistics of not only watching our kids but also keeping them entertained while mom and dad ran their designated legs of the race was going to take some serious planning and coordination.

Even though we have not completely got all the kinks out yet, two things have been determined so far, first we have finalized our pit crew for the race (with the help of the mom or dad that is not running at the time) our boys are going to be involved in the transition areas to not only ensure the next runner gets out but is all prepared for the leg that they are running. Involving the kids in this will not only keep them occupied but will also give them that feeling that they are part of the team as well. I am not completely sure how this will work yet, but I am almost positive that both the boys, especially the youngest will be all over this. Thus the training will begin for the boys on what they will need to do, including making sure packs are ready, water bottles or camel backs are full, headlamps have new batteries, etc. The biggest issue I see is convincing C that he cannot run with the runner when they head out, but I do expect a lot of cheering and excitement, because who doesn't like a cheering squad as you head out on a hard run.

This is where the second item comes into play, the boys are all signed up for the CDR Kids Race, a great little event held after the main event has finished. I just have to include the promo write up that is on the website, I think it not only clever but gives you a good indication of what fun they will have:

'THE KIDS RACE: Never Too Young to Cheat Death! '

'This the best way we know to introduce kids to the sport of adventure racing. The Kids Death Race takes place on the Sunday of each August long weekend, and is one of the highlights of the weekend. The course is approximately 5km long on wilderness trails, with one big mud pit, which everyone must wade through, and one big hill that comes near the end of the course. Anyone making the cut-off time (90 minutes for 5km) is a winner and will receive a Kids Death Race finisher’s medal! The course is closely supervised by adults.
Parents may accompany their children on the wilderness portion of the trail, but kids are required to carry their own food and water for the entire race - there are no aid stations. Children must start and finish the race to the greatest extent possible on their own, although some very young children and kids with special needs may need parental assistance. Over the years the kids’ death race has become quite popular and very, very competitive. Parents be advised that smaller, less competitive, or slower children must go to the back of the starting line. We provide the barf buckets, but parents... please use common sense when fueling your little racer before the event! Check out the family fun happening at DeathFest over the weekend!'

Although I do not expect to have to help T out during this race, especially when he finds out there is a cool t-shirt and a medal at the end for bragging rights. I am on the other hand, expecting that I will be running beside C, even if he doesn't want it, just in case. I know he will be going full out trying to keep up with his brother, who will be going full out trying to keep up with the other kids, just a vicious circle. The mud pit is going to be interesting, I am fully expecting C to go head first in, not being able to give the opportunity to get dirty, and T will be a little more tentative looking for a potential way to avoid going in. This is going to be an experience that I hope they will never forget, and will hopefully spur them on to run for the love of running. What kid would not want to tell all their friends that they ran 'The Canadian Death Race' and they didn't even die, check out my cool shirt and medal with the skull on it.

So it is set, this is going to be a fun and crazy summer for the family, Nicole and I will be treading into territory not previously entered, the boys will have a experience that I hope they will remember for a lifetime, and we will grow some more as a family.

The only question unanswered and we will have to see how it pans out is,

will C run barefoot like his dad, or will he put shoes on for this endeavour, only time will tell.

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