A 3 year old learns to wheel chair race
The following race recap was written by Sara Holtsman, who runs in the St. Louis, Missouri area. She fits in time as a lawyer between her workouts. This past weekend, she had the pleasure of introducing a new athlete into the sport of running and wheelchair racing. You can read more about her and visit her website at: runninglawyer.blogspot.com
November 11, 2007
St. Louis Track Club & Special Olympics Half Marathon, 5K and 1/2 Mile Youth Run
A few months ago I signed up to run the SLTC Half Marathon, thinking it would be a good way to keep myself motivated and running after doing the L&C Half in September.
I also noticed that there would be a 1/2 Mile Youth Run that morning sponsored by Special Olympics. I immediately called my mom and asked her if Anna would be interested in “running” a race that morning too. She said yes and we signed up.
Let me back up a minute. Anna is my cousin’s daughter. She is 3 years old (will be 4 in January) and has spina bifida. She was born with a gap in her spine and is paralyzed from the chest down.
My mother has practically adopted the kid and has been trying to get Anna to be more social and outgoing. She’s incredibly smart, creative, funny and talkative – but very very shy. Here’s a picture of Anna – talk about adorable.
Being my mom’s only daughter, she talks about me to Anna all the time. My running is one of their favorite topics. She tells her about my races and shows her all my race photos. She puts her on the phone with us when we discuss my training and runs.
So Anna was excited that she was going to run her first race. She would practice “going fast” where ever she could – especially through the aisles at the grocery store and down wheelchair ramps. My mom took her to the local high school track so they could do a lap and “train” for the upcoming race. The night before, she even had a pasta dinner to get her necessary carbs.
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