WELLSVILLE MILE!

On Wednesday, Stoney had the chance to compete in the Wellsville Mile. What is the Wellsville Mile you ask? Well, apparently it is a race for 4th & 5th graders in the Cache Valley School District. This race has been going on since "the beginning of time" according to our neighbor. She grew up in this area and competed in it when she was this age, which was quite some time ago since she is a grandma now. It's a way to promote healthy living and staying physically active.

Apparently, this is race is pretty well known. The official Timer for the Boston Marathon loves this race and what it promotes so he comes and volunteers his services and times the races for free. How AWESOME is that!

The students have been training for the past 6-weeks, increasing their indurance and strength. Stoney had the fastest time (by 2 sec. - 6.45) for all the 4th grade boys in the district coming into the race. He was excited about that, and knew he would do a good job.

The day of the race was CRAZY! There were kids running around everywhere, parents, grandparents & siblings lining the sidewalks, and police ars & orange cones placed at street corners. You would have thought everyone was getting ready for a grand parade.

They had the 4th grade girls compete first. There were three heats for each grade / gender. Which ever heat the child competed in was determined by his / her time. The 1st heat was for slower times, 2nd heat for average times, and 3rd heats for the faster times. Stoney competed in the 3rd heat for 4th grade boys. Peity, Brody and I made bright signs to cheer Stoney on. We had a great time making them.

It came time for Stoney's heat, and he was a little nervous. He was so excited his dad was able to come watch him, and it was fun hearing Brett give Stoney last minute tips to help Stoney run a better race. There were about 30 boys in Stoney's heat -at least. The gun went off and Stoney was on his way. He began sprinting, and unfortunately ran out of gas a little sooner than we thought. As he came around for the 2nd lap, he had dropped behind, but he was stilling doing great.

We held up the signs high & cheered him on as loud as we could. The finish line was exciting and we were anxious to see our little guy rounding the corner and starting his "kick." He was able to pass a few people and ended up coming in 10th in his heat & 20th out of 98 4th grade boys. HE DID FANTASTIC!

We were so proud of him. He ran a great race, and he learned a lot. He was a little disappointed because he was expecting to do a little better, but he realized he started out too fast, and he also got trapped in a big group of boys and ended up getting pushed into the ditch, but he had a great time.

Next year, he wants to train a little harder and gain tips to get a better time. If you're ever out this way during the 2nd week of May stop by the tiny town of Wellsville and cheer on these kids as they run a fantastic race.

WAY TO GO STONEY!

WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!