In 2017 I have had ONE mission and that is to run 17 races! My fifteenth was so special. I ran with my five year old daughter Kaia. Kaia has been asking to run with me since I brought home my first medal in February. My friends and I then decided to bring all our kids along for the Airport Junction Race on the 12th November 2017. It was a lovely experience and we have decided to make it an annual event.

Instead of the usual Race Recap, I thought it would be really fun to ask Kaia:

What five things did you love about running your first 5k race?

1 – I loved getting my medal and winning the race: I was not surprised that this was her first response! Every time I come home from a race, Kaia asks me if I won. And each time I tell her that I didn’t come first or second or even third. In fact, I am usually at the other end of the spectrum. But because I do my best out there, I get a medal and that makes me a winner. I think she finally got what I meant when she sprinted through that finish line! She was ecstatic about her medal and “winning the race”. With very little training (just school PE, swimming and tennis), Kaia did her first 5k (which turned out to be 5.9 km) in 1:04:39 hours. What a champion!  

2 – I loved seeing Daddy and hearing people shouting Kaia: Kaia’s dad managed to catch us out on the course. She was absolutely overjoyed to see him and her younger brother Thiwa.

He was also at the end of the race and saw us as we came sprinting through. She also had a phenomenal welcome from some Peace Corps volunteers who started cheering for her as she came down the final stretch, “Go Kaia! Go Kaia! Go Kaia!”

3 – I loved that they made us run longer: Okay, this one had me stumped. In my first year of running I have been so disappointed at how often the courses are too long! Recently, I have complained about it here and here. When I asked Kaia why she loved the course being longer, she said, “Because it’s fun”. LOL. I guess that answer is good enough for me and maybe I should adopt that mantra the next time my race is too long!

4 – I loved running with my friends and playing afterwards: What really surprised us all was the energy these kids had after the race – they were jumping all over the place and when we had breakfast at Cappuccino’s we couldn’t get them off the playground to come and eat! I am so knackered after my races that all I want to do is relax! Just looking at them playing had us tired!

5 – I loved wearing our purple outfits: Yes, she is my daughter! Something that has motivated me on this running journey has been all the running outfits! I love planning my race outfits and weeks before Kaia’s race, we chose our outfits together! She decided on the purple and it was so much fun to share that with her. I have my very own partner in crime now as my hubby stubbornly insists on wearing his ONE orange race shirt for each race. LOL!

Thank you my little Kaia – it was an absolute honour and privilege to run this race with you. Looking forward to a lifetime of running together.

What age did your kids start running? Have you ever run with your son or daughter? What do you love most about running with your kids?

Once again I am excited to be linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0! Please hop over to their blogs and others for some great inspiration.