On October 7, I ran the Fall Foliage Festival 5k in Warner, NH. Two of my cousins ran it with me, my aunt and uncle volunteered, and my nieces and nephews cheered us on with pots and pans from the kitchen. The course started in downtown Warner and got off to a quick start along .25 miles of rail trail along the Warner River. We crossed back over Main Street and then started going up, and up, and up. The course turned on to a single-track, uphill hiking trail and spit out half a mile later on a dirt road. At that point, someone shouted to me, “You’re the first female runner!” I replied, “No way” in disbelief. Turns out, she wasn’t lying, and it was my race to lose.

I had placed in my age group before, but had never won a race, so this was exciting. I think, from the title, you know how this ends. A few more spectators along the way encouraged me by shouting, “You’re the first female runner!” and I kept going. Finally, the race turned back downhill, and I was able to cross the finish line smiling. Sadly, my cousins were still running, my aunt and uncle were still volunteering, and the little ones were still banging pots and pans, so no one I knew saw me finish. If you win a race, but no one (you know) witnesses it, did it still count? I think so!