Go for the Gravy 5K

 Greg and Suzy-Q waiting for the race to start

 Auntie Shauna and Owen goofing off before their race

Saturday morning was a blistery 10 degrees and boy was it cold!  Thankfully, Wasilla didn't have any wind to make things any colder.  This was our first true winter race and boy is it a whole different experience :)  I was at REI yesterday and picked up a Turtle Fur Windtech Maskot Beanie which blocks the wind and covers most of Hannah's face so she is more comfortable running in the cold. 

Pre-race activities included hot cocoa, hot apple cider, and coloring for the kids.  The kids also got to write on a big poster things that they were thankful for.  Hannah wrote on behalf of Ava that Ava was thankful for her awesome cousins :)

Hannah and I were off at 10am.  The trail ran along the Parks Highway and was quite icy.  We caught up to a lady that remembered us from the Bonny Sosa races which is always fun.  Hannah was a super strong runner girl and pushed it up the one long hill of the race.  At the top of the hill was our turn around point to head back for the finish.  Hannah's goal was to run this race in 29 minutes which is pretty fast given the cold and icy conditions, but what can I say...the girl has goals and who am I to dash them :)  Hannah and I were quite close to making that goal!  The last part of the trail was pretty icy, so we had to slow down a little.  We finished the race in 30:45!

Great race team 5K in 50 States!!!!

Owen ran the kids 1 mile race indoors which was nice for the kiddos and the spectators.  Auntie Shauna, Owen's faithful running buddy, took a feather off of his necklace for each of the 12 laps to keep track how far he ran.

 Suzy-Q and I cheering Owen on

Both Hannah and I got 1st place in our age groups!  This was my first time getting 1st in my age group.  The race had a raffle and Owen and Hannah both were lucky enough to win a prize.

1st place ladies :)

The races and awards ceremony were done at 11:45 so we had to hurry back home to have a bite to eat for lunch and then head back out again to the skiing kick off at 1:30.  What a busy day!!!!  We are looking forward to starting skiing next Monday and the Jingle Bell 5K in a couple weeks.