Sunday, February 15, 2009

Kids Running for Kids


Here's my medal , Mumsie!

This is a really big weekend in Birmingham.  The 7th annual Mercedes Marathon started on Saturday for Birmingham's youngsters.  Today, the grownups will get their chance to run, trot, jog, walk, crawl....whatever they have to do to get across that finish line.  Begun in 2002  by Paul and Cinna Sotherland (click HERE to read their story) this grand event has raised millions for the wonderful Bell Center for Early Intervention and Kid One Transport.  If you are wondering why Mercedes is involved , well we are most fortunate to have a Mercedes plant in nearby Vance, Al and they have been such generous contributors to our community!  

I have a vested interest in this marathon.  Oh no, I'm not running.  Are you kidding me?  But yesterday my granddaughter Chappell ran with a HUGE and most energetic group of kindergartners, along with her marathon running mom, Kathleen. Where those running genes come from we have no earthly idea.  Today a few shots of the Kids' Run and tomorrow some photos of the grownups. GO KAT GO!!!!

* Yesterday I did a really dumb thing and lost my billfold.  I am so very grateful to a couple on Country Club Road who found it and contacted me. It brought a familiar quote to mind.  "I've always depended on the kindness of stranger."  Blanche- Streetcar Named Desire.  I feel so fortunate to live in a community where strangers treat each other as friends! !


At the starting gate

Heading for the Finish Line

Our friend James and his dad Chris ran together

22 comments:

Eki said...

How fun and exciting! And those are the intense moments you captured in the photos, V.

Congrats to your granddaughter Chappell. You must be proud of her! Will you be running too tomorrow?

Anonymous said...

How exciting for Chappell! and my best to Kat for her run Sunday. How far did the children run today. Surely not a whole marathon. So glad you got your wallet back! There are still good people all around us, aren't there?

Hilda said...

They're adorable! And it's great to see them doing something for others. You live in what sounds like a wonderful community — you are so blessed.

Unknown said...

Cute little guys! :-)
Have a great sunday!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful event! What a blessing to live in a community like yours. Glad you got your billfold back!

Jennifer said...

Hey!
Glad to hear you found your billfold...was it at the western or elsewhere!

Great pic of the fam and so sweet to see James and Chris running together!

FireLight said...

Ahhh -- the kindness of strangers. More than once someone in my family has left a credit card, a wallet, a purse in a grocery cart, etc. Then there are the roaming spaniels and even bigger dogs returned after afternoon jaunts in the village or several days' stay with university football players. Hurrah, for the kindness of strangers!

Virginia, thank you for bringing this marathon to our attention. I read the link. God bless such movers and shakers.

Peace be with you.

King of New York Hacks said...

Great shots of happy determine children. wonderful what the lens catches sometimes. I was bartending in a mixed neighborhood in New York once when an African American asked a White American if he would buy him a beer. The white guy said belligerently "who the F are you ?? I don't even know you !! And you want a free beer!!Pfft!!"... as I looked on to make sure the scene didn't escalate, the black man calmly responded "my mother always said a stranger is a friend you never met"....case closed , beer bought and a new friend found. Doesn't always work out like that, but nice to know sometimes it does. Great post as usual V.

Virginia said...

Fire Light,
I didn't know the story behind the marathon till I was doing my post. Heartwarming indeed.

Jen,
I put the stupid thing on top of my car to unlock it. It slid off on Country Club Road. I was preoccupied (as always). I've learned a lesson I hope.

Eki,
I"ll be lucky to just find a parking place and get to the park! I'm a walker not a runner like Kat.

Anonymous said...

Mercedes Marathon photos

Anonymous said...

How odd, I could have sworn I left a message. Something to the effect of seeing you run the marathos in your new red boots. (Is this your beautiful granddaughter? My, my.)

FireLight said...

What a perfect story from The King of New York! I had to dash over and visit his site! I may as well have flown to NYC this weekend! You will find great images and narrative there!
Thank you,Virginia, for the connection!

I agree with Altadena. What a darling child!

Mo said...

Future olympians here.

Ken Mac said...

hey V, thanks for the recent visit. As a whole on one wall, the art looks pretty ugly. But if you focus on individual pieces it takes a different slant.
I don't know when the Cheyenne is heading your way...cant' be long!

Virginia said...

King, I love your stuff. Thanks for your visit. As you can see, my viewers love your blog as well.

KM,
I love your blog as you well know.


AH,
For the record, I don't run ANYWHERE. At my age gravity is demanding that everything move south as quickly as possible. I think running makes that happen way too quickly. I walk softly.

Jane Hards Photography said...

What' s a billfold? Cute series of image, but surely one of you running in those kinky red booties would have been the killer(heels) image. Blanche, what a gal but I'm definitely a scarlett.

Janet said...

Great event for a great cause!

Virginia said...

B,
A billfold is a wallet, as in full of credit cards, driver's license, etc. I don't run in athletic shoes much less red patent gogo boots sistah!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Ok got it a purse. Now I can go to bed on that note, that is if I can ever get those pesky gogos off.

Thérèse said...

A nice way to show how it can be easy to live together and next to each other. A smily post today, as always...

Anonymous said...

Ok, here is how the kids marathon works. The school or any group can be a part of it. They just start a few months before the date set for the kids marathon, they "log" a mile each time a child completes one, then they all run together for the last mile at the kids marathon. It is a fabulous site! This year, Valerie, the race director, also was able to offer scholarships to some of the inner city kids that normally would not have been able to participate.
The Full and 1/2 mercedes marathon is always the following Sunday, new course this year, and I did finish. I run for fun, I drank a couple beers along the route, even shared a donut w/ a fellow runner a spectator offered us! Kat

Anonymous said...

oops, i forgot to add that we went out to eat at Yankee Pizzeria Friday evening. A huge crowd, even a live band. (vs. a dead one?) we had about 18 at our table. there is a game room, and my girls all took some of there allowance to play some games. Chappell lost her "wallet" aka ziploc baggy w/ some cash and coins. A gentleman overheard us looking for it and asking the other kids if they had seen it, and told us his child found it and gave it to the waitress!!!! I was so glad to hear some kids also doing the right thing!!!! There is hope!!!