Sunday Runday: Jingle Bell Run

This marks the 6th year I've done the Jingle Bell Run.  6 years!  It's kind of crazy when you think about it.  Thatkid has done this race every year he's been alive.  And now so has Thatbaby!

We bundled the boys up and put them in the wagon.  This was Thatbaby's first wagon experience.  Really, he's a bit too little for it, but nothing that cuddling with a big brother can't fix!

Timing-wise I feel like we're always rushing to the start line of this race.  But this year all the stars aligned and we got their early enough to do a quick run-around and pick up our bag from Sprouts - filled with fruit, Suja, water, powerade, cookies, and chips.  We also got to watch the warmup.  Which Thatbaby found fascinating.

Pretty soon it was time to start the race.  The taiko drummers were set up right at the beginning of the race.  (Which is coincidentally also right before the Finish line, so we got to see them twice!)

I love the support on this race.  It's a bunch of high school kids scattered throughout who yell, cheer, and ring bells.  They're adorable.  And have the perfect amount of energy for a cold, early morning.

Thatkid threw a fit shortly after crossing the start line, so he climbed out of the wagon and ran with me for a bit.  Which gave Thatbaby a nice cushy spot to fall asleep. 

Although there were plenty of people dressed in holiday garb, there were fewer costumes this year than in years past.  Of note was Olaf and Santa on stilts who was handing out candy canes.

As expected, after a little bit of running, Thatkid wanted back in the wagon.  And also as expected, Thatbaby eventually woke up from his nap.  Which is what happens when it takes you over an hour to do a 5k.  Thatkid spent part of the race entertaining his brother by singing Jingle Bells.

One of the things I love most about this race, is the family friendly expo.  Santa was present (although Thatkid wanted nothing to do with him), there were all sorts of Christmas crafts to partake in, and vendors geared specifically to kids (and dogs).  We always end up hanging out for quite a bit after the race.

One of the new things this year was the medal.  Every year it's the same, a red ribbon with a little medallion.  This year the medal part was huge!  Almost as big as Thatbaby's face!  And even though I've been doing this race for 6 years (before there even were medals) this is the first year I realized that the little ribbon attached to the medal is so that you can hang it as an ornament! 

I love doing this race as a family, and every year I enjoy it more and more as the boys get more out of it.