Story
In his last weekly recap post, Adam tried to (gently) bait me into another Ultra Challenge 100k on the final day. I’d be lying if I said I never considered it, but decided to trash my body a little less with the Monster Marathon on Sunday followed by the Groton Labor Day 5k on Monday with my kids to close out the 2024 Challenge.
While billed as a road race, the Labor Day run is the only 5k I know of that includes asphalt, gravel, trail, and track, plus a healthy dose of rolling hills. A fun all-terrain adventure, but a real SOB when you’re pushing 96 pounds worth of kids in a double Bob on Monster Marathon legs. I ran this race once, two years earlier, also pushing the kids, and somehow won my age group. This time I was 3 minutes slower and didn’t even win the (unofficial) stroller division, getting smoked by another 40-year-old dad with a double Bob.
Still, the boys and I had fun, especially on the downhills when they pulled me along at a speedy clip, and when they heckled me for going too slowly uphill.
“C’mon dad, run! Those other kids will catch us.”
“Guys, I ran a marathon yesterday. Gimme a break here!”
Thanks to RD @Sweeks for organizing!