Health & Fitness
Here’s what it’s like to be 5 and finish your first 5K – the Gildan Esprit de She Cary
Celebrating a mother/daughter duo that ran the May 13 Gildan Esprit de She Cary 5K/10K presented by Burt's Bees
Christina and Heart McAlister finished their very first 5K together and both enthusiastically agreed it was a great experience. Of course, it’s not unusual for mother/daughter duos to run 5Ks side by side, but I should mention, Heart is 5 years old.
Lots of nerves but still all HEART
According to her mom, Christina, though she’d been talking about the Gildan Esprit de She Cary presented by Burt's Bees and looking forward to it for at least a month, Heart was super nervous the morning of the big event—and she’s far from the nervous type. But, early AM support came via text as their friends also planning to run messaged over encouragement.
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Met the coolest woman
Not only did the mother and daughter—alongside other mothers and daughters— run a cool race, they met amazing women along the way. Inspirational women. During check-in, Heart met a woman with a curved, high-tech prosthetic foot. An amazing runner who was in tip-top shape and extremely kind. Heart asked to jump and jog in place with her... and it’s something none of them will ever forget.
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Finding the will to continue
After the 1-mile mark, and a Gatorade break, Christina could see Heart was starting to feel the pavement, as the expression on her adorable face clearly turned to one that said, “I’m rethinking this.”
But, the crowd was fun, the energy was incredibly supportive, and their friends were motivation. Add to that one part “sheer participation thrill” and one part bragging rights inherent in a "big girl race" finish and little Heart McAlister kept on going.
The finish line
In fact, at the finish line she hurdled the orange cones as both mother and daughter raced to the finish mark. If you ask Christina, Heart’s victory was due to her form, focus, finisher’s mindset, strength, and huge personal commitment to be ALL IN. In fact, later that evening, she turned to her mother and confidently said she is ready to do the 10k!
“I think she’s hooked,” said Christina. “We love this race!”