Turtle Fest Run

This year, 179 runners showed up to run in the Turtle Fest Run Race - 5k, 10k, and half-marathon.  The event was run honoring former Yellow Jacket and inspiring runner #BraveLikeGabe Gabe Grunewald. 

Tesfaye ran the 10k (6.2 mile) race.  He started out in the front pack, ran most of it alone, and finished the 10k race 2nd overall - finishing in 38:14 with a 6:09/mile pace.  (The winner was a college runner and finished with an incredible 5:17/mile pace!) 

As was last year, it was a cold, overcast, and rainy morning for the race.  Tesfaye shaved nearly 3 minutes off his total time from last year's race. 

It was great to be out there as a community with so many runners showing support for BraveLikeGabe.

*After the race, we enjoyed breakfast at the Firehouse Community Pancake Feed.

Turtle Fest Parade

Friday night of Turtle Fest is our Turtle Fest Parade - local businesses, big trucks, marching bands, performing groups, music, popsicles and candy.  Mike, along with Burke and Dukes walked the parade handing out potato chips.  Hendrick was working.  Davis and Tesfaye watched with friends.  The rest of us found a great spot to enjoy the fun (and collect lots of goodies!). 

Turtle Fest

Summer kicks off in our town with the annual Turtle Fest - celebrating the start of the International Turtle Races, a weekly tradition in our town for nearly 40 years, with a street vendors, free Trolley rides, Goose Gang giveaways, free ice cream and potato chips, Turtle Fest Parade, Turtle Road Race (5k, 10k, and half marathon), live music and nightly street party, and a fireman community pancake feed.  It's a wonderful tradition!

Hendrick is working again this summer for the Chamber of Commerce as a turtle handler for the weekly Turtle Races.  This fun event draws 200-500 turtle races each Wednesday all summer long.  After registering, when their number is called, the racers choose their turtle (or bring their own) and gather in the center circle.  When the whistle blows, the turtles are released and buckets are banged to encourage the turtles to make their way to the outer ring.  The first turtle outside the circle wins.  Winners get their entry fee $1.00 back and then the winners from each heat race again in the finals. 

(returning our race turtles to Hendrick)

Our big kids rode around town on bikes, palling around with friends and taking advantage of plenty of freebees.  I walked around the festival with the littles, collecting ice cream and potato chips, riding the trolley around town, and hanging out at Goose Gang for the fro-yo, popcorn, prize wheel, and playing outside - I love our town! 

Track 2019, Section 6A

Tesfaye had an amazing 8th grade track season - running varsity in 8 track meets, participating in 3 junior high meets, placing individually at Conference, placing individually at Sub-Section and qualifying for Minnesota 6A Sections!!! 
He's a distance guy, preferring to run the 1600m (1-mile) and 3200m (2-mile).  He achieved a PR every time he competed - an absolutely incredible feat - besting his personal best with each race.  

For his final competition of the season, the Minnesota 6A Section, our entire family traveled to cheer him on in the 2-mile race at the hottest meet of the season.  Being one of only two junior high runners in this race and still recovering from illness (he had missed several practices leading up to the competition due to fever and flu-symptoms - yuck!), he entered with the potentially lofty goal of making podium (top 6).

Runners earned a spot at Section by either finishing among the top five at Sub-Section or qualifying with their Sub-Section time.  Tesfaye had finished 6th at Sub-Section, but made it to Section with his time (his Sub-Section finish was 12 seconds under the qualifying time - we had a very fast Sub-Section race!).  From Section, the top two finishers advance to the State Track Meet. 

After the first of 8 laps, Tesfaye secured his 6th place spot just behind the clusters of top runners, led by his teammate.  

Going into the final lap, Tesfaye was still a solid 6th.  He has a great kick in his final race lap.  True to form, the final lap was incredibly exciting.  By the final 100m stretch, T had come up to just 10m behind the 5th runner - and PASSED in a sprint to claim 5th place in the Section 3200m race by a full second!!! 

Tesfaye finished this final (hot!) race in a time of 10:34 - his only non-PR run of the season (but only 6 seconds off his PR!).  An incredible race and a great end to an incredible 8th grade track season. 

Claiming 5th place at the Section Meet earned him a spot on the podium and Section honors. 
His teammate won first place and will advance to the State Tournament in both the 1600m and 3200m - with his 4:30 mile and 9:45 two mile. Awesome!

The team had a great performance overall.  The Yellow Jacket Boys AND Girls teams both won overall Minnesota Section 6A Championship titles!   Two individual boys runners, one hurdler, and one thrower, and the 4x800 relay team advanced to State, and the girls had three relay teams, two pole vaulters, one long jumper, and two individual runners advance to State. 

Tesfaye will have the opportunity to travel with the team for the State Track and Field Competition as an alternate for the relay team. 

(The girls and I will be traveling to watch!)