Sturgis Falls Half Marathon

Austin has been training to run the Sturgis Falls Half Marathon again in Cedar Falls.  This is his third year, and the first where he wasn't dealing with an injury.  It was perfect weather for running.  The course was altered this year due to flooding along the river, so the kids & I hung out at Pfeiffer Springs Park to see him run by a couple times before racing to meet him at the finish line. 

Austin finished with a new PR of 1:41:37, which was 12 minutes faster than in 2011 and 2012.  That's about a 7:45 pace.  His goal had been under 1:40 at a 7:30 pace, but the course was hillier than expected.  That's still amazing in my book!  It was good enough for 63rd overall and 10th in his age category.

I forgot both my camera and my phone, so I didn't get any pictures during the race.  I did get a few snapshots on Austin's phone afterwards until the battery died.  Here is Austin with the kids post-race:

I forgot about the Kids' Fun Run, but both Emily & Lincoln were eager to participate.  Three different age categories ran three different lengths of races.   This is Lincoln waiting patiently for his race to start and happily running with Daddy.  This picture brings back a lot of memories for Austin because he spent many, many Saturdays watching his dad run road races while growing up.

While Lincoln pretty much "wins" no matter what actually happens, Emily is competitive to the bone like her dad.    Look at that face of determination!  Her age group ran in heats of 7-8 kids.  She was quite aware that she finished 4th in her heat.

Here are the kids post-fun run with their goodie bags.  The bags contained some treats and a leftover half marathon finisher medal from a past year.  They were thrilled and so proud!  On the way home, Emily asked when she could start running marathons.  I thought, "Maybe when you stop huffing and puffing and complaining about being so tired after only three blocks."  I actually said, "Maybe when you're 12 or 13." ;o)