How It All Started

Slap! Yes, I knew that was the sound of the mail man as he had just dropped off the mail. I darted down the steps and out the front door to grab the mail. As I got back to the kitchen, I began to shuffle through each and every piece. I stumbled across a letter that read, “4th Annual Turkey Trot.” I wondered what that meant. I tore it open. It was a registration sheet for the annual Turkey Trot 5K race that my town holds every year on Thanksgiving. I was curious, so I asked my Mom to sign me up. I watched as she wrote everything down. Then I signed. Mark Valentino. I was ready to run, or was I?

I had only just turned twelve years old. I was determined to finish the race. As the days passed, I anticipated the race more and more. Finally, the day had come, Thanksgiving. I woke up early morning and had a pancake breakfast. Not knowing the proper nutrition to prepare for a race, I stuffed myself. Race time was 9:00 A.M. I rushed my family out the door because I was ecstatic to run this race.

When we got there, I looked around and saw some people stretching so I decided to do the same. My legs felt very tight. I decided to stop. I was wearing a pair of shorts and I put on the t-shirt that I received for signing up. I then got my racing number and pinned it on my shirt. I felt like an Olympic champion. Lastly, I wrapped my timing chip around my ankle. I was ready to go.

“Ten minutes until the start! Ten minutes!”

I knew I had to get to the starting line. There were hundreds of people present at the race and I didn’t want to not be able to make it in time. I remember my Dad telling me, “Get to the front of the line. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too young.” I followed his advice and snuck my way to about the third row of people. This would do, I though.

“Thirty seconds until the start! Thirty seconds!”

It was time. My first race. I got into an athletic position as did everyone else. I saw a man with a blow horn in the air.

“Five!”

“Four!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

I ended up running 20:41, not too bad for 12 years old (and my first 5K). But this was only the beginning of my life on the run.