Walk for Hope to cure breast cancer

[kep]

Has anyone completed a walk/fun run? I am seriously considering doing the 2K in October. I just have a few quick questions:

-Is this something my 4 year old can join me on?

-Are strollers permitted?

-How practical would it be to push my double jogging stroller during the walk?

-Do I actually have to register my 4 year old? (I know to get a shirt he has to be registered, and I know he would love his own "racing number". ;) )

I would love any general tips/tricks anyone could share with me. I'm a total newbie to this, but I would love to be more involved with events like this in the future. Thanks!

Kelli

Proud Mommy to Lukey (2003). Weaned after 3 years of happy nursing!
And Mommy to our newest baby, Joseph, born 3 days after Christmas

[MMEand1]

Good for you for getting involved and staying active. We have done several races as a family and love it.

To answer your questions:

1) I see no reason why your 4 yo could not join you. A 2k is a little over a mile and if it is a walk/fun run, you will have tons of people walking, so it should not be a problem (my DS did his first 5k at 3 years 4 months, so your 4yo should be fine.

2) Most events will have a statement like "Stroller Friendly", or "Strollers, Bikes, Skateboards, etc not allowed". If it does not say on the registration form, there should be a number (usually the race director) to call and get more information. They are usually very helpful.

3) Since a 2k is only 1.2 miles, you should be fine pushing a double stroller. My DH has pushed my DD in our Valco (with the toddler seat) in about 3-4 5k races.

4) If you want a shirt/bib number/goodie bag/etc for your 4 yo, then you need to register him unless the registration form states something like "12 and under can register for free". If so, check and see that they still get the goodies. We have participated in a few events that touted free registration for youth, but you had to pay extra for a shirt or water bottle or whatever they were giving away. Just something to think about.

As far as tips/tricks, there really is not much to it. We just go out and have a great time. Once we started getting into more races and became more serious about it, we learned things like: Never wear the race t-shirt until after you finish a race; wear an old long-sleeve shirt to the start and then once you get warmed up, you can take it off and toss it to the side of the course (if it gets lost, it's no big deal because it is old); make sure you hydrate at the water stations even if you don't feel thirsty; get fitted for the proper shoes (from a running specific store) and NEVER wear cotton socks; make sure to get a good nights rest 2 nights before the race because most likely you will not sleep the night before a race (pre-race jitters).

We save our DC's race bibs and put each one of them in a black frame and hang them on the wall. It's just a little something we do to show them how much we support them and how proud we are of their efforts.

I can't think of anything else, but will ETA if I come up with something later on. Good luck and have a GREAT TIME!!

Mariah P.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l94/m2e2/Elistie002.jpg