Casey

So… the most often question we’re asked is… “Do you think my kid can do this?” Let me tell you about Casey.

It was May 19, we had wrapped up our eight week training sessions and it was about twenty minutes before the spring race would begin. My mind was already exhausted. I was trying to make sure the volunteers were all in place for all 150+ people to run the course safely. Coach Bunn ran up to me and stated, “Hey, there’s a four-year-old that would like to run with her brother. Is that okay?” With more than a decade of school administration experience, I knew how hard that question actually was. Despite my reservations, I said “Yes, of course that’s fine.” That was it. I didn’t know anything else…… until later.

In the crowd, there was Casey. Casey wanted to run the race with her brother. As a parent, I can relate to the notion that you want to make sure your children have every opportunity afforded to them. But I know, the world is full of “No,” and “You’re not ready.” and “Maybe when you’re older.” Lucky for Casey, her parents agreed so long as the Sole KIDs people said it was okay. We all did.

So there Casey was… doing the stretches and getting ready for the race. Yeah, there she is, in that picture on the left. For the record, if it weren’t for the 1500+ pictures we took, I’m not sure I would have believed this story either. But there she is.

So, we finished the pre-race warm-ups and moved over to the starting line. At 7.00, we let the runners go.

The race was two loops. The best part of two loops was that parents/grandparents/family etc. got to see their runners a couple of times. The downside was that anyone struggling with the run might think about finishing the race early. And that did happen.

This picture (below) was taken at one mile into the race. The photographers were instructed to focus on runners wearing the lime green shirts. Frankly, we had no idea what Casey was accomplishing out there.

This next picture was taken at halfway through the course. Casey can see the finish line from here but she’s supposed to keep going past and run another lap. As a runner, let me tell you how tempting that finish line can be after running half a race.

Here, you can see Casey bypassing the turn to the finish. Four-year-old Casey hits the water stop and begins her second lap.

Please know the second half of a race is nothing like the first half. The excitement is gone. There’s a sense of “What have I gotten myself into?” and this is where you learn to push yourself. Frankly it’s hard, even for seasoned runners. All that matters from this point on is finishing what you started. Casey’s goal was to run with her first grade brother, Colton. And she stayed with him and kept going. Colton finished in 33 minutes and 22 seconds.

And then….. there was Casey…. at 34 minutes and 50ish seconds. If you’ve never run a 5K, 3.1 mile race, let me tell tell you about race times. I know many adults who train very hard just to run 30 minutes. Here’s a four-year-old, with no training, running a 35 minute 5K. Casey did have an advantage, though. Clearly, Casey lives in a world where no one has told her that she “can’t.” So she did.

But that’s not where our story ends. Up next is the awards ceremony. Please remember that we’ve asked our volunteers to focus on the runners in the lime green shirts. Casey crossed the finish line and did not receive a finisher’s medal.

But that doesn’t bother Casey. She was just happy to run with her brother, Colton.

She watched all the other runners receive their awards. No finisher’s medal. No recognition, whatsoever. And she was okay with it. She was content with knowing her own accomplishment. While giving out the awards, there was a hiccup in the results. It caused a pause in the award process and I had to go check with the timing guy. Below is a picture of Casey watching the other runners get their awards.

And then….. Coach Jamie and Coach Kalli see Casey. They had been on the course, had watched Casey start, run a lap, and watched her finish. They had spoken with Casey’s parents about her accomplishment. During the awards hiccup, Jamie and Kalli realized that Casey should have earned her recognition and finisher’s medal. Jamie and Kalli then called up Casey to receive her finisher’s medal. If the smile on Casey’s face doesn’t say it, take a look at everyone else’s face.

I know there are are some who say we shouldn’t have allowed this to happen. A four-year-old can’t do this. And who knows, maybe they’re correct.

But nobody told that to Casey. And she did. We can only wish that the rest of the world lives in a place where nobody tells you “You can’t” or “You shouldn’t” or “Maybe, when you’re older.” Until then, remember Casey. Casey showed us what can happen when no one stands in your way and tells you that “You can’t do that.”

Thank you Casey. You are a Sole KID!!!