Fatherly Stuff: Celebrating Fatherhood at the 1st Annual Dads Matter Too! 5K Road Race

Sep 23, 2013

Celebrating Fatherhood at the 1st Annual Dads Matter Too! 5K Road Race



As I type this post, my right knee is aching, my lower back is stiff and (according to my wife) I’m in desperate need of a shower. But strangely, I’m feeling great. 



All of this is a result of being a participant of the FirstAnnual Dads Matter Too! 5K Road Race. Held in Waterbury, Connecticut, this event was hosted by the Department of Children and Families' Region 5 (Waterbury, Torrington & Danbury) Fatherhood Engagement Leadership Team, (F.E.L.T) the Department of Social Services, and the City of Waterbury. 

The focus of the race is to bring awareness to the often overlooked yet crucial influence that fathers have in the lives of their children. There are some people that might look at this event and say something like,"Of  course dad's matter, we all know that... so what's the big deal?" There are so many men out there who are trying their best to be the best father they can,  but unfortunately face many roadblocks along their journey. Among these obstacles include being unaware of their rights as a dad, tensions with their child's mother that can affect their relationship with their child and a US court system that has a tendency to be adverse towards fathers . Complications such as this can be a frustrating experience and can cause some dads to feel isolated.Fatherhood initiatives such as F.E.L.T. put a spotlight on these issues and provide guidance to those who need it the most.

 In addition to the road race, there was also a children’s Fun Run as well has a 1 mile Dad’s Walk. The idea was to create a positive, entertaining, low-cost environment that fathers would be encouraged to bring their children to. And it worked! All around me, I witnessed so many loving and nurturing dads share moments with their kids. It was truly a joy to watch. According to the event brochure, all proceeds: 


"... will be utilized to
sustain ongoing father related events, trainings,
and activities. Proceeds will allow the F.E.L.T to
provide fathers and their children with
opportunities to have access to the following:
movie tickets, sporting/recreational outings, and
activity bags which consist of word games,
coloring books, and stuffed animals."(Source)

One of the favorite activities my 4 year old and I enjoy doing together is jogging along one of our local nature trails while I push him in the stroller. So when I found out about this race, I knew my son and I had to do it as a team. After all, what better way is there to celebrate the joys of fatherhood than to participate in an event side by side with your child? 

Once we got ourselves registered, we were provided free t-shirts and I was fitted with a time keeping ankle bracelet. As we rolled up to the starting line, you could feel the positive energy surrounding the area.  I started stretching and my son followed suit. This was proceeded by a collective group off “awww’s” by some of the other race participants, as thy appreciated his excitement.






Throughout the course, I would jog a good distance pushing my son up and down the hilly course. Then all I would hear is, "Daddy, can I run now?" I would eventually relent and he would hop out and start speeding down the closed streets, with me running close behind. Everyone; the volunteers, the assisting police officers and firefighters, even the passersby on the street were impressed by his efforts and started cheering him on.  Some one the runners who finished actually came back and gave us great words of encouragement to urge us on. It felt like more than just a ran: the comradery was definitely inspiring.

As we finally reached the finish line, the cheering got even louder as my son ran through it on his own. I took a video of the moment, but just to forewarn you, it's pretty shaky. (Hey, YOU try to push a stroller in one hand and take a video in the other after running over 3 miles!).




 After we crossed the finish line with a respectable time of 37.5 minutes (and got a chance to catch my breath), I knelt down and gave him a big hug. He was so proud of himself for finishing and the ear to ear smile on his face in that moment made the entire day worth it.

One the race was over, we were treated with some great music, food, bounce houses, face painting, a petting zoo and a whole host of other fun things to do. In addition to this, the event stayed on mission by having an impressive number of public and private booths that offered a variety of resources offering assistance that fathers can take advantage of.





I did make one critical mistake that almost backfired on me: In the heat of the moment, I told him that he won the race. Like, the entire thing. That would have been all well and good, except for the fact that he noticed that there were a bunch of trophies near the main stage, so he inquired as to why he did not receive one. I told him that the free t shirt that he received along with his "finisher" ribbon were his award.  He probably would have been satisfied with that answer, but there was only one problem; He noticed with his 4 year old powers of observation, that there were a bunch of other children with the exact same shirt and ribbon. Finally backed into a corner, I did what any self respecting dad would do: I said to him, "Yeah , that's true the other kids got a t shirt and ribbon, but I bet they don't also get to go to Chuck E. Cheese afterwards!" After hearing those wards, his face lit up and shortly afterward, we were whacking moles and shooting hoops and doing the "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with Mr. Cheese himself.

Disaster averted.

All day long, from start to finish the 1st Annual Dad’s Matter Too! 5K Road Race was a fun-filled event filled with positive energy, good people and even greater fathers. I felt humbled to be in the company of such a wonderful group who are dedicated to a powerful mission and we look forward to attending next year!




32 comments:

  1. What a great focus this race has. It is about time that fathers get the credit they are due. hahhaha... cute video.

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  2. Good for you for doing this run and all that it represents for Dads.

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  3. Yes dads matter too, who would think otherwise ?

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  4. Great job and really good time too. Love that you did this as a father son team!!!

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  5. That is awesome that you did a father/son team. Dads are so important!

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  6. That is great! I commend you Kyle for being an active dad. There are far too many absentee dads and I don't mean that all of them are off somewhere. I mean dads that live in the home but don't bother with their kids. I am sure he loved the race and attention!

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  7. That is great that they have a 5K race with fathers in mind. :)

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  8. That is so awesome. Fathers are so very important role models for their children. I commend you for being such a great dad to take time out and spend it with your child. I think that race had to be amazingly fun for both of you.

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  9. this looks like a great way to bond. Thank you for participating and SHARING :)

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  10. Awww, that was amazing. Thank you for sharing your story. I can just imagine your son running through the finish line. It's great when dads do things with their kids and it's true that you're not shown the appreciation you deserve enough.

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  11. This is so awesome! that looks like such a fun event and looks like he had a great time. thanks for sharing, enjoyed reading :)

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  12. Woohoo what a day! And what a great thing to be celebrating :) x

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  13. That's a new trend (dads being very actively involved with their children) that I really like. Kudos to you for participating, and I'm sure it was a blast for both of you.

    He does look too cute doing his stretches, lol!! Pretty sure you got a collective bunch of 'awws' on that one too, from people reading the blog. :)

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  14. What a great idea! My kids would love this!! And so would my husband.

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  15. Sounds like a great event to honor Dads. Love that they had other entertainment at the event and also offered resources for those dads that might need info about services available in the area. What a fun day!

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  16. My kids would love this too! We are doing a walk a thon this friday :)

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  17. Fathers are equally important to the molding of their sons and daughters. Great recap of the event Kyle, and congrats on a good run!

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  18. Sounds like a fun day! Great dads should be honored too :D

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  19. Such a sweet post, and an awesome Cause! Now that my children are adults, their dad, my now ex realizes how much he actually missed out on while they were growing up, so I have to give him credit, he is trying harder with the grandkids!

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  20. What a cool event. Great idea. Your son is such a cutie! He's lucky to have such a cool dad!

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  21. What an amazing day. Love this story!

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  22. Woah what a fun event it must be . Go dads.

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  23. What a great time! More dads should spend this kind of fun with kids!

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  24. Sounds like a perfect day! Love the video!

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  25. This is a great way to celebrate fatherhood, stay in shape, and spend quality time with the family. Great photos.

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  26. Wow! What a great idea. I love events like this and anything that puts focus on Fatherhood. Dads are so important and we don't celebrate them nearly enough.

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  27. I love this idea! I have to say I really appreciate your blog and your focus on being a good father/man. I wish more men would be as proactive as you are.

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  28. I love that programs like this exist. Great job on joining in on the fun. I think it is very important for it to be known that fathers that want to be there for their kids also have rights.

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  29. I love that dads are being celebrated!

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  30. aww that's great that you did that with your kid :) wish my husband was that awesome...

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  31. That is so wonderful that you are active with your son. Sometime we want our kids to feel special so we slip and tell them things we wouldn't expect they would notice. Your son is very smart noticing that but I am glad he was not to upset and enjoyed chuckee cheese after!

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  32. This is awesome! It's great to see fathers bonding with their kids AND encouraging them to get outdoors and be active!

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