Girls (and Guys) on the Run

ON THE RUN: See anybody you know above? Mid right frame, it's Annabelle and Kennedy getting their run on as part of the 5K Girls on the Run event held on Sunday (5/21) around the Renton Airport. 

Last year when Annabelle ran the event, we had to drive from our place in Magnolia to the event. This year, we just ambled down the hill, about 5 minutes away from home.

The tails of airplanes being worked on made for a cool backdrop for the runners.

We didn't go into the stadium to watch the runners. Rather, this time, knowing the route, we went to a parking lot a little bit away from the turn around point.  We told Kennedy and Annabelle where to look for us, and they spotted us before we spotted them.

 Can you spot our two in the rainbow tutus?

 Fortunately, their run was before the Jet Engine Testing time frame! 

 Here's what Annabelle has to say about the experience. ... 

The Girls on the Run 5K Is a yearly event. It’s hosted at the Renton Memorial Stadium, just blocks from our house in Skyway. This year, 4000 women and girls attended the 5K, creating a crowd of people much more dense than last year’s. My group, Cascade Parent Partnership, was in the last “wave” meaning we started after everyone else. The route went out from the stadium and towards the Renton Airfield, allowing us to see a few of the planes parked up close.

It was incredibly interesting to see how diverse the crowd of runners was, with some having full sets of high-quality sports gear and others not even wearing running shoes. The race took a little over 45 minutes for us not including sign-in and lines, but while the wait was long before and after, the volunteers worked hard filling water cups and distributing medals. Although I ended up exhausted, sweaty, and ready for a nap, It was a great way to get some exercise and have fun!

 

While we watched and waited for Annbelle and Kennedy, we also tracked goings on at the Renton Airport. We noticed on plane taking off with a trailing 'tail.'

Christian immediately surmised it was going to be flying a banner behind it. He also said that the banner would create too much drag upon take off, and predicted that the plane would go pick up a banner elsewhere.

He was right! Turns out the plan was the GEICO banner ad plane we see all the time! Fun to see the process in action.

During our adventure, we also got a chance, for the first time, to check out this sculpture on grounds southwest of the airfield.

Imagine our horror when we spotted a carved-in-granite mistake.

 It's a horror!