Stories And Inspiration

Second grader Emily Greene tried her first 5K last spring with Fair Grove Elementary, running side by side with her dad and brother. One mile in she had a terrible cramp and couldn’t push through the pain to finish the race. She stopped and watched with her grandmother as her dad and brother continued the race.

When sign-ups came around for the fall race, her father was hesitant to sign her up, but Emily said, “I can do it this time.” I took her and my daughter, Baylee, and became their running partners during practice.

Emily said, “If my dad and brother can do it, so can I. All I want to do is beat them in the race.” With someone other than her father to encourage her and push her, she began building up her endurance.

Emily said, “I knew that [my coach] Mrs. Crouse would not allow me to walk so I had to work through any pain I was feeling during training.”

Her father, Dustin Greene, said, “Having a great coach to push her and encourage her other than myself was all the motivation she needed to reach her goal of completing her first 5K.” On race day she was prepared physically and mentally.

Our strategy during the race was to choose a target, a person, who was ahead of us and reach that person then pick someone else out to catch up to. After crossing the finish line in 32 minutes, Emily said (without even being out of breath), “That was easier than I thought I would be” with the biggest smile on her face. The best part is we were able to go to the finish line to watch her dad and brother finish. She had met her goal of not only finishing the race, but also beating her dad and brother.

After the race she said, “I turned it on once I saw the finish line.” She is now training for and is preparing to finish the spring 5K on May 3 in less than 30 minutes.

by Anna Ruth Crouse
GO FAR Coach from Fair Grove Elementary