A 2nd for My 1st, and a 1st for My 2nd

How's that for a confusing title?  ;)

In reality, it's very simple:  Josiah, my firstborn, ran a 5K today, his second time doing so.  (The first was last New Year's Eve when he and Jeff ran one downtown in our city.)  David, my second child, also ran a 5K today, a first for him!  The 5K they ran was part of the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, an event that raises thousands of dollars every fall for Mennonite Central Committee which does various relief work and service projects all around the world.  The boys were happy to run, it was a beautiful day, and (as we say about all our purchases at the relief sale) "it's all for a good cause!"  :)

The course was tough for the boys--not level, and some rough ground to contend with--but it's good for them to run over such terrain and gain exposure to that kind of racing.  Even though it was challenging, Josiah ended up with a time of 31:20, an improvement of about a minute over his last 5K.  He happened to finish in 62nd place.  David came in 68th with a time of 33:46.  Both of them had to walk part of the way, but ran most of it.  I am incredibly proud of them!

How about a few pictures?  :)

 The start...Tobin, Shav, Moriah, and I watched from the side as Josiah and David got ready to go...

  A nice hill to run up at the beginning of the race...  :)

 Josiah at the one-mile mark...

 Josiah, part of the way through the race...

 David at the same spot...

 Josiah crossing the finish line...

 David approaching the finish line...

 He made it!

 Tired, happy brothers...  :)

Josiah and David were helped and encouraged along the way by various runners they happened to end up near (like the woman who crossed the finish line with Josiah) as well as by the volunteers who stood along the course and told them where to go as the race wound its way through and around the fairgrounds.  It was really a good experience for them.

They're already planning for their next one.  :)