The Race Is On

"Well, the race is on
And here comes pride up the backstretch.
Heartaches are goin' to the inside.
My tears are holdin' back
They're tryin' not to fall."
- Sawyer Brown





Today we all participated in the Naisten Kymppi 10K. It is Finland’s biggest sporting event for women with 15,000 female runners, joggers, walkers and Nordic Walkers of all ages...and 3 strollers this year. With our first truly beautiful day in Helsinki and only the second that I have been outside in a short sleeved shirt, we were able to finish the race with sun kissed arms and cheeks. All the kids were troopers while they rode in the stroller for 2 hours. We were instructed to hang out in the back of all runners and walkers so the strollers would not be a problem for other racers. Our obstacle was the Nordic walkers with their 'clicking' poles that surrounded us.




While we socialized at a steady pace, Daddy met us at the halfway point with fresh McD's french fries for the youngest of racers. He then was able to take some pics of us while we were walking the course. There were many more participants than I expected and very few strollers. Parts of the race narrowed into small trails causing major bottlenecks, but we all survived. After crossing the finish line, we were all given loads of fruit, water, juice, yogurt, and other snacks. What I found most amazing was throughout the course, companies set up booths with free snacks and beverages. In all the races I have ran, I was used to power bars and Gatorade. Here...champagne and strawberries. ONLY IN FINLAND!!!