A trail race with my son: Inspiring our kids to run and experience life

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of running a trail race with my 12-year-old son, Tynan. In my mind, there’s nothing better than seeing your kids taking part in something that you enjoy. Running has become such a big part of my life over the last few years, and I’m pleased as punch that I was able to share this 6K adventure with Tynan.

Like many parents of a soon-to-be teenager, getting them out of their room and away from the electronics can be a challenge at the best of times. My son is not the most athletically gifted kid out there; in fact, his strengths revolve around his intellect. The kid is downright brilliant, and I often wonder where all those smarts came from because it sure wasn’t from me. But I want to make sure my son doesn’t miss out on life by having his nose stuck in a game screen. There are so many things out there to experience that a complete generation of kids is in jeopardy of missing out on.

That’s why I ran with Tynan.

The event, put on by Trail Manitoba in conjunction with The North Face and City Park Runners is called the “Try a Trail Series.” It’s the perfect way to get out and run in a no-pressure situation and enjoy some of the great things that nature has to offer. Race director Dwayne Sandall has done a masterful job of making these events fun for everyone. (If you’re interested in a bit of trail running in your area and don’t know where to look, check out Canadian Trail Running Clubs, a database put together by Trailrunner.ca).

My goal was to have my son run the trails with me in an event where there was no pressure, no concern with time, to let him see me doing something I love to do. Hopefully, just maybe, he would catch the fever, too.

This wasn’t Tynan’s first running event but it was his first exclusive trail run and I know it took a lot out of him, but he finished and finished strong. He actually took about six minutes off of his best 5K time and followed up with a PB in the 6K distance. Plus, he beat dear old Dad at the same time.

The look on his face as he pulled away from me as we neared the finish line was priceless. You see, my son feels because he’s almost a teenager that he shouldn’t smile or have fun when he’s out with the family, because it’s against the code. We’ve all been there. Well, don’t tell him I saw that smile – yes, the one that I usually need to use a crowbar and a whole lot of leverage to achieve. It was written all over his face even though he’ll never admit it now. Yes, I saw the spark of achievement. He was, dare I say it, having fun!

It was great to see some of the kids out running with their parents, including two other notables: Zachary Piche a lively 5-year-old who ran with his mom and was giggling away as he passed me (the barefoot runner) near the finish line, and Joshua Toews, the 10-year-old son of a friend of mine who kicked some serious butt.

I don’t know if my son has turned a corner and will become a trail running junkie like me, but the experience certainly brought him closer to a passion for running and the outdoors. Life is too short to stop exploring – that’s one thing I’ve learned and hope to pass on to my kids.