Mini-Mos 2015

If there’s one event our little guy looks forward to, it’s the Mini-Mos; a community event organised by the local primary school that’s now in its 33rd year. 

The race attracts a big crowd.

The race attracts a big crowd.

Everyone is invited to take part in either a 2km, 5km or 10km fun run with funds raised from donations and entry fees going to selected charities.  This year the funds raised were going to Autism Spectrum Australia and the Unicorn Foundation.  The 10km race attracts elite runners who start the race standing in front of the social runners and compete for prize money.

Fancy dress is allowed

Fancy dress is allowed

Because the event is organised by the local primary school, many children compete and in this day and age of childhood obesity rates soaring, an event where children can spend time getting prepared, doing training and competing in a run is an excellent idea. 

Making it look easy to run in a tutu.

Making it look easy to run in a tutu.

Most children are content to run in the 2km event with a sprinkle of kids taking up the 5km challenge.  But the little guy just loves to run and so for him, it wouldn’t be a good day out unless he ran in all three races. 

The teachers dressed up as Toy Story characters

The teachers dressed up as Toy Story characters

The 10km race is the first event of the day and it starts at 7am.  As Alfie is 10-years old and as his age group is Under 20, he needed everything stacked in his favour so the plan was to get him there half an hour before the race so he could be at the front of the pack.

The start of the 2km

The start of the 2km

As we were having to head to the airport for our flight to Bali at the same time as the race, I organised for Blacklane to detour via the race so we could drop Alfie at the starting line.  We weren’t leaving him without an enthusiastic cheer squad though as I had friends and family who agreed to position themselves around the 10km course to cheer him on.  His big brother and sister were part of the cheer squad with Arabella on her cripple sticks and Archie who had come straight from work and hadn’t yet been to bed.  Rosie, who was nervous at the sight of the suitcases, was scooped up into the car so she wouldn’t be home alone fretting. 

40 minutes into the 10km race

40 minutes into the 10km race

Cheer squad sorted, we lined Alfie up behind the starting line, gave him hugs and kisses, told him it was a good day to be a champion and off we went.

In the car I kept looking at my watch and when the hands moved to 7am I knew he was off and racing.  But just then I had a terrible thought.  I realised I hadn’t tied his shoelaces and normally, whenever he has a race, because his fine motor skills are still developing, that’s something I do for him.

Come on little guy

Come on little guy

In a moment of panic I said to Drew, ‘I forgot to check his laces’.

Drew said calmly, ‘It’s okay, I offered but he said he wanted to do them himself’.

‘No Drew, you can’t let him do them himself, not for a 10km race!’  So I sat there hoping he’d managed to secure his laces.

End of the 10km

End of the 10km – and just one shoe

At the airport we were checking in our bags and being scanned and patted down and the texts started coming in from family and friends.  Archie said just before the race started they announced that Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister, was running in the race.  He’s run in it many times before but this was the first time as Prime Minister.  

Start of the 5km

Start of the 5km

Then they announced that there was a little boy in the race who was running in all three events of the day and could he step forward and he was given a big clap.  Then the race began and Archie said he got off to a great start.  At the 3km mark a friend said he was looking great.  At 6kms my father said there was no one around his age ahead of him.  At 8kms my friend, who’d been outside her house for half an hour with her camera at the ready, said he went flying by looking great.

Finishing of the 5km

Finishing of the 5km

But around the next bend it happened.  Laces undone, one of his shoes came off.  He didn’t stop; he kept running and continued on the course, one shoe off and one shoe on until the finish line.  My father collected the shoe and took it to the finish line where Alfie came through in 46 minutes. 

Across the line

Across the line

And he was disappointed.  When I was able to speak to him on the phone he said, ‘I wanted to do better than last year’.  I said, ‘You did; you beat your time by about two or three minutes and you did it wearing just one shoe so that’s excellent’.  And then Archie asked him if he’d like a photo with the Prime Minister.  ‘I don’t have time’, he said, as he ran off to get into the starting position for his second event.  

Being interviewed after finishing the 5km

Being interviewed after finishing the 5km

And because Archie is not the type to forego an opportunity, he moved in for a photo and happened to remind the PM that it was his mother who beat him in the Balmoral Burn.  Just in case he’d forgotten.  The PM finished in just over an hour.

Archie and the PM

Archie and the PM

Then, with just enough time to retie his shoes and swap T-shirts, it was on with the 5km race.  Taking a more gentle pace, Alfie ran another 5kms. 

Start of the 2km race

Start of the 2km race

After finishing that event he then lined up for the 2km race where he was now in the Under 10’s age group.  This race was also run at a comfortable pace with Alfie not caring about racing the clock or any of his peers. 

A pair of champions

A pair of champions

There is a parent and child race and one of his very best friends ran in that event for the very first time with his mother and grandfather.  Alfie had been giving his friend training and on Saturday afternoons they would walk the course until familiar with it.

Fortunately the weather was mild with plenty of sunshine so the conditions were favourable for the runners and then for those who stayed afterwards for the fun fair.  Alfie, now being looked after by friends, stayed and played on all the rides and for him, had ‘the best day ever’. 

A pair of champions

A pair of champions

The Mini-Mos is a community event organised by Mosman Public and is open to all who wish to compete.  This year over 3,000 people competed in the three races with most of them being children and over $25,000 was raised for Autism Spectrum Australia and the Unicorn Foundation.

A few more medals

A few more medals

And a very big thank you to my friend and the cripple for looking after the little guy and sending me photos.

Comments

  1. Annie Potts says:

    So so proud of your little man , he really is quite extraordinary ! Next year gaffer tape those shoes on ! What a trooper

  2. You’ve got one heck of a talented kid, love his never give up attitude. 🙂

  3. Even with a single shoe, your boy is a winner. And how wonderful to participate in all 3 events for charity. Everyone giving you updates and keeping an eye out for him sounds like you’ve got some great friends. The PM is a good sport to take the gentle rib. 🙂

  4. Danielle says:

    Congrats to Alfie, he is a true champ! He is such an inspiration 🙂

  5. Great story… Charlie! And what a trouper!!! I can’t run with two shoes for that long let along one!!! Liz xx

  6. oh my goodness, finishing a race with just one shoe is surely worth a medal! or a shoe sponsorship! lol

  7. He is really a runner, isn’t he! What an amazing effort although I couldn’t help laughing at the lost shoe – so amazing he ran on anyway to achieve that time, and thank goodness he could get the shoe back for the other races! I suspect the PM might be starting to worry about your family in sporting events too 😉

  8. What a great event–and how nice that fancy dress is allowed, as there seemed to be a lot of creativity. Archie and the PM? How fun is that?

  9. Wow, go Alfie! Imagine finishing a race like that with just one shoe and still beating your time from the previous year. You must be so proud and I hope he’s just as proud of himself. He should be!

  10. Goodness me, what a tenacious young man. You must be very proud. I suspect he’ll go far.

  11. That little fella of yours is so driven! I love it! Finishing the race in one shoe is exceptional Charlie Louie, (and the other two races!) I’ll bet you were a very proud mum.
    Yay Alfie 🙂

  12. I know you’ve got your feet up and spending time being pampered but you would have loved to have been there cheering him on. You have every reason to be very proud parents. Even the older ones did the right thing. Good day all around.

  13. Oh, there’s our spirited sprinter once again. Great job, Alfie! Keep goin’!!!

    Julie & Alesah
    Gourmet Getaways xx

  14. Well done Alfie! I definitely get the feeling that he has a big future in running. I mean whoever loved it so much that they wanted to run in all three races? Only a champion would do that!

  15. Fantastic! Alfie really is quite the inspired runner! I am so impressed with him! I love the photo of Archie and the PM. I think wherever your children go there must be a flurry of activity. They know how to make the most of every opportunity. Now just have a wonderful time, Charlie. I’m quite sure the kids are fine!

  16. Wow! that’s some determination to run in all three races and continue after losing a shoe. Good on Alfie!! GG

  17. Alfie is my hero! What a champ! Wish I was more like him when I was a youngster – I wouldn’t battle so much today.
    Have a beautiful trip away Charlie – hope you are sipping on a few cocktails with your feet up around the pool, or possibly having a massage.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  18. Finishing the race with only one shoe is commendable. Impressive, actually.

  19. He is just amazing! I’m telling you, he has marathons in his future! And no doubt he’ll qualify for the big ones. The best part is that he loves it though. And I was in stitches that he was too busy for a pic with the prime minister. Lol! Way to go Alfie!

  20. He’s adorable! You must be very proud!

  21. Yay Alfie! An absolutely wonderful job and with one shoe too! You must be chuffed 🙂

  22. Fantastic effort by alfie – and I was glad someone picked up his shoe for him! Tony Abbott is going to start looking over his shoulder for your family when he goes to these races 🙂

  23. Well done Alfie! What an accomplishment that am sure you all are proud of him for! What a great event Charlie!

  24. That child has so much energy:-) Makes me tired just reading this post!

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  1. […] up so early the day before (actually Archie hadn’t even been to bed), then heading off to the Mini-Mos where Alfie ran 17kms, went to a fun fair, played with his cousins then had dinner with his […]

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