Sniff. So Proud.

The picture of this medal arrived in my inbox last night. Boy#4, who has only taken up running this spring, got THIRD PLACE in the race he entered last weekend and wanted to make sure we knew.

"Have you ever been more proud of any of your sons?" Four added.

I'm not sure I have.

Of course, I'm beaming at the fact that my baby entered a race, a race in which he had to run. Husband and I have always known that the laws of genetics doomed our children's athletic aspirations before they were even born, what with their mother's coordination genes and their father's speed genes.

But our sons have something some racers don't have: They are wily and wildly competitive.

You see, this race was not merely running a pre-marked course to see who could cross the finish line first. No, this was the Gut Pak Run. In case you are not familiar with this event, it is a tradition at Far-Away Big University in which participants run from the center of campus to Vitek's Barbecue (1.1 miles), eat their signature dish (the Gut Pak) and then run back to the starting point.

The Gut Pak is built in a full-sized take-out container and contains: 

• A layer of Fritos.
• Beans.
• Sausage.
• Onions.
• Lettuce.
• Cheese.
• Jalapenos (optional).
• Pulled pork.
• BBQ sauce.
• Pickles.
• And two slices of bread.

So essentially, this "race" is a two-mile run interrupted by a week's worth of calories. And Four did not barf (which would be the overwhelming inclination) but was the third person over the finish line. His older brother explained this achievement:

"We may not be fast on our feet, but we are very fast eaters. I'm guessing Four probably made up like three minutes there and on a two-mile race that's a lot."

 

Yup, we're wildly competitive and select our competitions carefully. It's a strategy that works for us.

So, so proud.