Virtual North Olympic Discovery Marathon (NODM) “Hudson’s Perspective”

Race Report: Virtual North Olympic Discovery Marathon (NODM) “Hudson’s Perspective”

Jamestown S’Klallam Art Gallery – Hollywood Beach 27.75 miles

I woke up after Mom pulled me from a full sleeping position. Not an unusual experience in my family and usually means we’re going off onto some adventure.

Within a few minutes I was strapped into my car seat. Baby joined me in the back with her milk and blankets for our legs. We drove to pick up Dad’s friend Kyle who was standing out in his driveway ready to run. Dad likes to drink coffee in the morning and make dad jokes. Mom says they’re not funny. I did my best to understand what we were getting into as I sat quietly next to Mom who had moved in between me and baby. They were excited to announce to Baby and I that we were going to do our first marathon and that we were going to travel all the way back to the city pier where I like to play at this beach called Hollywood.

Dad told us it was a 6am start time. He was excited, like only dad can get in the early morning, to start the course in cool weather and get moving back toward this new town that I’ve spent the last few weeks called Port Angeles. As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw some Native American Art with black, red, and white colors of many animals which gave me a sense of peace being out here in a natural environment. As my Dad unstrapped baby from her car seat Mom pulled me out and I quickly got excited seeing this large pile of candy, including tic tacs, Swedish fish, Snickers and a whole array of drinks and food apparently for the marathon ahead of us. Another one of Dad’s friends TJ joined us in the parking lot and it looked like it was going to be the five of us on this day’s adventure. Mom said she’d meet us at Hollywood beach.

TJ’s wife took a photo of us all in these t-shirts Dad put us in, and we were strapped into the Double BOB Stroller. The same stroller I travelled over 500 miles in less than a year ago. I used to have a single stroller and then my little sister came along after my first long journey on a BOB stroller and a year later we took a second adventure. Come to think of it, at three years old I have travelled over 1,000 miles in a BOB stroller covering what Dad and Mom call “Camino’s” and now this new thing apparently known as a marathon.

Dad loads up the final items on the stroller, hands me my tick tacs and 3 packs of gummies and I’m grinning ear to ear as we start our adventure. I hear Dad and his two friends catching up and talking about running, life, ministry, and saying that for today all they have to do is not stop and we’ll get through it. Seems pretty simple to me, and as long as Dad keeps giving me milk, and snacks I’m on board for the ride. At about an hour into this adventure I start getting a little restless and I know that Dad usually has some electronic device on him to watch movies on. I start with a barrage of suggestions which is quickly followed by baby requesting the same items. Dad better have enough for both of us or we’re going to have issues… moments later Dad gives me his phone and baby a tablet and I’m settling into one of my favorite PJ Masks episodes. Baby watched the Grinch for at least the 10^th time in the last month.

Soon after we start our shows we run into a friend of TJ’s, Travis Burgland who apparently my Dad knows as well. Then there was a pack of young kids running with TJ which was exciting, and I shouted out, “It’s a party” to which everyone smiled and cheered along. Baby and I passed back our screens and started looking at the scenery again. Baby likes to point out all the birds, we saw a chicken, and some of the big trees. We started near the water and then went through a forested area and now we were in a small town with farms around us. I asked my Dad where we were, and he said Sequim. We got a second fill up of milk and decided to just listen into the conversation and the scenery around us in this new place. When we crossed one of the roads we saw a firetruck and the fireman and firewoman cheered for us as we went by. They seemed to be friends with TJ. Dad told me it was his old friend Stephanie that he did Search and Rescue with and TJ’s friend Casey Sires. We crossed what Dad said was the half-way point at just over 3 hours and were out of the city and going through the countryside. We took a longer break and Dad let me and baby walk around for a bit. My sister decided to lay in a puddle and got her top and half her pants wet so Dad quickly changed her and bundled us back up in the stroller to be on our way. My sister and I kept commenting on the stinky smell which my Dad says was the cows and horses in the distance. At 15 miles in we came around a corner and saw Grandma Lila who had some resupply for drinks and a few hugs for us. It was good to see Grandma and I thought about jumping in the car, but Dad asked if we should go catch TJ and Kyle. Baby and I quickly jumped back into the stroller so that we could catch up.

The next section of the course was a lot of rolling hills with tree cover. Baby and I went back to screens for a while. This time I picked some dinosaur shows and a variety of animated episodes on Netflix. Baby was off to Frozen, another favorite of hers. As we came up to the 21-mile mark there were that same group of kids running near TJ and some other supporters at the bottom of Morris Creek. This guy Rob Mason who I had seen a couple times on the course was there cheering TJ on, and my Dad seemed to know him from a long time ago and told me he’s Canadian and that Canadians are usually really awesome people. There was also a guy that is the Youth Pastor at Independent Bible Church (IBC) which is where Dad tells me we will likely go once we can start seeing more people because people are still getting sick. I tell Dad and Mom that people should go to the doctor when the get sick and they’ll get better.

When we stop at Morse Creek Grandma Lila brought our scooters which I was really excited about. I saw a dirt pile and decided to take my shoes off and go jump in the pile, because it’s a dirt pile, you just have to jump in. My Dad got my sister ready on her scooter and then came after me to get me moving. I went to go run from him and fell down the dirt pile. It wasn’t a big deal but I scrapped my hand a bit. Dad sat me down, put my shoes on and asked if I wanted to go ride the scooter which put me back in my normal excited mood.

We crossed over this wooden bridge with water below and I was flying. My sister was right behind me and within 100 yards of getting on the scooter managed to crash into the side of the bridge and flip her scooter. Dad put her back in the stroller and they booth came chasing after me. I liked this game for a little while then let Dad go ahead of me. Then I decided to look at the branches around me and got off my scooter. Dad didn’t seem to know what I was doing and parked Kalea and came back to where I was at. He told me I either needed to get in the stroller or scooter to catch up with TJ and Kyle. I wanted to play with the sticks and didn’t get why he wanted me to go with him so urgently. Sometimes parents don’t make sense. Anyways Dad picked me up, grabbed my scooter and carried me back to the stroller. I told him to take off my helmet and shoes and to wrap me in a blanket which he did for both me and my sister and we were back to strollering but now at a much faster pace trying to catch up to TJ and Kyle. Dad ran fast for about 2 miles and with 3 miles left in the marathon we caught up to TJ and Kyle. My sister and I decided one more time that we wanted to scooter which lasted less than five minutes and then we were back in the stroller. After we caught back up to TJ and Kyle, Dad passed us off to Kyle and as I looked up I saw him and we both decided to just sit in our seats and enjoy the rest of the journey.

The end of the marathon was really windy. Baby kept repeating it as if I didn’t know. “Windy, windy” she would say. As we passed over another small bridge I could see the beach. Kyle said it was a little over a mile to the finish line. TJ moved toward the front and the rest of us kept pace with him as we rounded the final corner towards the straight away. The same group of kids found us again and one of them came up and grabbed TJ’s hand and ran next to him. It was his son. As we approached the finish of the marathon there were people lining the path spaced out from each other, and then they had some music on a large speaker and a finishing tape for TJ, Baby and I to cross over.

TJ ran through the tape followed by us, Dad and Kyle. TJ gave Dad a big hug and then mom picked me up out of the stroller and Dad picked up baby and spun her around. We had some pizza and then Kalea and I went down to the beach to play in the sand. It was good to see Grandma Lila, Uncle Rich, Aunt Jen, and all our cousins, Mikayla, Madisyn, Ivan, and Abigail.

Today was fun. Life from the stroller has its perks, especially if your parents are good at giving you candy and daddy’s phone. Dad needs to pick some shorter races next time. I’m sure we’ll be out on another adventure soon enough.