MG Kids reporter braves the heat for Verizon Wireless ‘fun walk’

By Carl Hausman, MG Kids correspondent

Today was the Verizon Wireless 5K race. However, because of the heat, it was shortened to 2.2 miles (I figured out in my head that this is equal to 3.52 kilometers).

Once we got there, we had to stand around waiting until my dad could find us and sign me in. We’d gotten there later than usual, so we didn’t have to stand around for quite as long as usual before the race started.

After it started, I found that I was walking at the very beginning and going faster than most of the joggers. Once I started running, I left my dad in the dust. However, I have always been much more of a sprinter than a jogger. I was probably only a third of a mile into the race when I started feeling like I was about to collapse and had to slow down.

Next, there came the long drudging toil of going up and down hills. (Why they can’t have a 5K in an area that’s flat is beyond me!) Luckily, they had cut out the worst of the hills when they shortened the race.

Eventually, the heat started to do me in, but the only thing that actually kept me from beating my dad was that there were so many people who seemed determined to do anything but run who were in front of me! It was about at the halfway point that my dad passed me, and I never quite caught up. (Second time in seven runs!)

When I finally did have room for a full sprint without running into people, I ended up going so fast that I was sick for half an hour afterwards. If I’d managed to build up momentum earlier, I would have been fine.

After I finished, I managed to sip at some water and then had a massage. (In typical “classical music lover” form, I think that the calming music helped more than the massage.)

At that point, it was time to go home, and I was getting a little sick of the crowds. We drove home, and I had a special Australian drink designed for just after heavy effort. And that’s about it!

Carl Hausman, 12, is a regular participant in the Verizon Wireless Corporate Classic 5K. Recently, he also participated in a 5K Fun Run with his parish, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, to raise funds for the youth group mission trip to Topsail, N.C.