Lake Lanier Under the Lights 5K. Worth breaking “the rules.”
Our youngest is 11 years old. I’ve written before how he’s my last holdout, my last buddy. I realize that time is quickly (and probably already has) slipping away.
Okay. That’s not clear. He’s my last child I can talk into hanging out with mom and participating in organized fun.
For example, he and I are a team for the Ronald McDonald House race. And I often procrastinate enthusiastically scan the internet for local 5Ks we can do together. That’s how I happened upon Lanier Under the Lights 5K.
Lake Lanier is a resort 30 minutes north of Atlanta. For us, that meant a 90 minute drive. But what’s an hour and a half of riding in a car for a chance to run through holiday lights?
They hold this race the Saturday and Sunday before the park opens the light show to car traffic.
Joe and I headed that was last Sunday afternoon.
This was at the start. Notice the castle in the background. Oz-ian I think.
It was misty and chilly, which added to the cheery winter mood.
Cheery winter mood?
Yes. I got caught up in the lights and the little whiff of Santa in the air.
This required suspending my long and fast rule: NO Christmas before Thanksgiving. I surprised myself how easy it was to drift into that mum-of-a-little-child-at-Christmas haze.
The official start.
They had waves which was a good thing. Lots and lots of children. Serious runners were up front followed by mid-pace runners, joggers, walkers and entire young families pushing toddlers in strollers.
A few photos.
These pics aren’t conveying the excited children chatting to parents. Parents encouraging their child to run to the next reindeer. The young 20-somethings running in packs. I knew that when I was snapping away. But I had to try.
My partner never likes me to stop and take a pic.
Notice the green glow-stick stuck in his curls.
The course is hilly. I knew that from a ZOOMA half marathon my friends and I ran there.
We ran; we walked with hundreds of other peeps in search of a pre-holiday buzz.
And had a great time.
The lake is down there somewhere.
A thumb way up!
Don’t know what I’ll do next year if my then 12 year old won’t do this race with me.
:/ <– Mommy angst.
How about you? Will you join me?