Hi blogosphere :) I am Nicole, Hannah's mom. I decided to blog to try to find any other parents out there who might have kiddos who are running fan's like Hannah (aka Hannah Banana) and to share her unique (I think) journey to complete a 5k race in all 50 states. I am hoping to hear from people in every state with recommendations about which 5k would be the most fun and maybe even a little about the accommodations available near the race.
A little about us..My husband Justin and I have been married almost nine years and are the proud parents of Hannah who is 6 going on 21 and Owen who is 5 but is such a daredevil that he adds years to my age on an almost daily basis.
Hannah has ALWAYS loved to run. Even as a 3 year old she would wake up in the morning and ask if she could go for a run. Now you might think that this might be due to modeling but neither myself nor Justin are runners in the slightest! In June of 2009 Hannah saw on the local news a triathlon that had a kids component and begged me to let her try a triathlon. This past June Hannah competed in the Eagle River Triathalon and was hooked. The running was her absolute favorite and she has run nearly every day since the race.
You might ask, if you aren't a runner then who is running with Hannah? Well, thank the lucky stars I have an awesome sister Jennie who has become Hannah's running buddy. Auntie Jennie as we call her had her first baby in January and thought that running with a 6 year old would be a great way to get out and get some exercise with her favorite niece :)
Hannah has embraced running and it is now a daily part of her life that she wakes up and looks forward to. And, as with any kiddo they find something they love and they take their ideas to the moon. During the Mayor's Marathon that she raced the youth cup in, Hannah heard me talking to Justin about a lady who was completing her 50th marathon in 50 states by competing in the Mayor's Marathon here in Alaska. Being 6 she saw no reason why she couldn't do the same thing. Never mind the years of training these athletes go through or the actual cost of running in 50 states, she wanted to do it. I gave her enthusiasm some thought and have decided that really who am I to crush her dreams so I have decided to embrace her enthusiasm and try to plug away until we reach the magical 50th state or until it isn't her dream anymore :)
Obviously we have Alaska down so 49 more states to go. Our next stop is Washington in September to compete in the Iron Girl 5k on her actual birthday. So that leaves 48 more states to come up with a plan for. Any ideas and/or suggestions out there?
