Today was the annual Pine Beach 5k and/or 1 miler. In 2004 I did both and my middle guy (9, then 6) ran his heart out for an awesome 1 miler. I used it as a warm-up that year, then stretched and headed to the starting line for the 5k. Fun race, great venue!
Fast-forward three years and this time we all went, even my DH who has recently decided to actually run rather than tell me he REALLY NEEDS TO RUN. :-)
So, we got to the course prior to the 8:15 start for the 1 miler we had signed 7 up for. Now, I enjoy a nice 1 miler, so figured I would accompany 7 during his very first ever real race. I'd seen him kicking dirt during our Sunday runs at the track (I think they call it that because you can keep track of everyone) and knew he was more than capable of a fabulous finish. Right before the horn, I urged him to the left side and told him to pace himself. The plan was that I was going to run with him to warm up, then the whole family would do our thing during the 5k, but 7's tag would be ripped from his bib, so would only count toward a stellar 1. And if 7 and I had to walk the 5k, so be it.
So, horn blows, we take off with me on his trail to encourage him and we are no more than 5 feet from the starting line when he trips over someone else's feet and goes down - HARD! I pick him up, look at the elbow he fell on and immediately the EMS guys swing in on their bikes and ask if he needs first aid. He is bleeding, he is crying and I ask him if he just wants to walk. Yes...NO! He takes off like a shot, like he is soooooooo pissed that this happened and wanted to make up for the lost time on the big tumble. And did he ever.
So we ran and ran. And the way the course is set up, it is a straight shot to the turnaround (important for later). You are running along one of the most beautiful ever courses, with the Toms River on the left side, get to the turnaround and bam, you are on your way back. A beautiful day for it and 7 was motoring and so excited to see there was playground on the riverfront! I was behind him (I wanted him to set his pace) and he was so enthusiastic.
He made it to the finish/chute just a few seconds over ten minutes. I diverted to keep my tag on the bib so I could have 5k time recorded. Big mistake.
So, he powered through the pain, but at that point, after the usual adrenaline rush, he started to feel his bloody, germy elbow. It was tricky to find the EMS who were so eager to serve at the beginning of the race. Eventually, 11, 9 and 7 and I made it to the ambulance while DH brought a bunch of our crap back, including our cell phones) to the truck. 7 was hurt and didn't want anything to do with the 5k and I've already run it, so I put DH in charge of 11 and 9 for the 5k. All three were excited!
7 got all fixed up by EMS while 11 and 9 looked on and 7 and I set off to the playground prior to the horn for the 5k , so we could lay in wait for DH, 11 and 9. 9 is quite a runner, but 11 had done a similar run last June (although I had to pull him over the finish line), so I was interested in the dynamic.
They ran by where 7 and I were waiting, but I missed DH somehow. I saw 9 run by and he told me that DH was way ahead and 11 was way, way behind. Was he ever - he had given up before he had even started. He was strolling as though it were a Sunday outing, which of course it was except for being a RACE. I NEVER separate from my boys in a race, so I was concerned.
So, DH came to the finish line at 35+ minutes and had blown out his calf. 7 and I waited by the finish line to get the picture. Then, I knew that 9 would be next by sheer force of will. So, I left 7 with DH and ran the course backwards to find 9, just about a half mile behind and coaxed him to run the the finish line. He really sprinted to the finish line and again I sheared off from being counted since I didn't run the whole race.
After I deposited 9 in his Dad's lap, I ran with 7 the half mile back again to find 11 to run him in. But then I saw the police car that follows the very last runner. The one that shows that the race is over. So to see the car without 11 in front of it gave me a very sick feeling in my stomach. 7 and I approached the car and I told the officer that my son was still out there, his name and bib number and description. The officer suggested I talk to the EMS guys because they could do a quick sweep on their bikes.
Now, let me tell you about the town of Pine Beach, NJ. It has two stoplights, two police cars and is thisbig and on the Toms River (where people can drown) and 11 was gone. Just plain gone. Luckily, the EMS knew what 11 looked like since he was with us when 7's elbow was getting treated plus he he has this amazing red hair.
The family stuck together waiting for 11 to come in on the finish line and then they started to take it down. They allowed traffic to flow, not that there was much (see description of Pine Beach above) and I started to hyperventilate. I.AM.NOT.KIDDING. I thought I was going to throw up.
EMS folks kept coming up asking "Are you the mother?" as though he was lost forever, asking for further descriptions, as though the flaming red hair wasn't enough. I asked DH to go to the truck to pick up both our cellphones, in case he was trying to call us from where?
Meanwhile, all around us, there were celebrants enjoying a truly beautiful day. They were in line for the big BBQ that OutBack was providing, eating food and enjoying water and gatorade, yet from the stage between sets was the emcee who kept asking if runner 500, (also known as 11) would come up to the stage. Nothing. At that point I saw a friend from the gym and he asked how well I ran. I explained why I only did the 1 miler and that my oldest was MIA. He was confident that 11 would be found.
Our family went back in search of EMS and then the one EMS gal rode up and said "Maybe". That's when I lost it. I was crying as quietly as I could and 7 kept asking "Why are you crying?" Though he knew 11 was missing, he saw me with my stiff upper lip for quite a while (over an hour), so perhaps it was odd that when I finally got promising news that I would be losing it then. I couldn't answer for fear of full breakdown.
DH left with the cops, fire fighters, EMS and race officials while I ensured that 7 and 9 stayed close by my side. No need to give anyone more to worry about while I hyperventilated. So, 7, 9 and I went to the EMS tent to wait to see if "maybe" turned into 11. Ten long minutes later, I saw DH and 11 stride across the field trying to find us. I told 9 and 7 to stay where they were and ran across the field to 11 and gave him a hug that lasted over a minute (11 doesn't like to be touched, but I really needed that).
I gave him my food (I couldn't touch it anyway, I was sick to death about him being missing).
Then I asked him what happened. He told me that he lost sight of the pack because he wasn't running it. And then he made a random turn. And then he got to a busy highway. And then a cop car pulled up alongside of him a while later and asked "Hey, are you lost?" And he answered "Yes." and the officer said "Hey kid, you have a LOT of people looking for you." No kidding.
Turns out that he had walked two towns over. Not one for navigation. Then, when he was delivered by the police officer to DH, the officer suggested that 11 should really not be running a race on his own. No kidding.
Then my gym friend saw us and I gestured toward 11 and to show he had been found and gym friend asked "So when are you going to kill him?" NEVER.
OMG.
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