A Monster Run!

Friday night 1 Juni
8pm Sun blazing in the blue sky!

The Hinckas tackled their first official run in the Netherlands! Omloop van Ter Hiejde, a 5K and 10K race alongside the north sea. We love the idea that the races are on Friday nights. All the people come straight from work and meet up with their running clubs. Of course they have matching shirts,shorts and jackets, the Dutch are all about the gear. This is a serious group, there are no gals with strollers or dogs...the gun goes off and so does everyone, bolting out down the course. Danny and Jerry started at 8pm in the 5K, the girls and I followed at 8:30 in the 10K. The route headed out of the small town area and down a path that ran along between the dunes. The sea grass was waving, horses were grazing,a cool wind blowing. We headed up a hill(so not used to a hill here!) toward the beach, where I imagined the path would continue and we would have a nice view of the water. Well we had quite a view of the water, because we ran right down onto the beach! There was no set path, but all the runners headed through the thick soft sand down to the waters edge to the harder packed sand. 2 1/2 K later we finally turned back toward the dunes, ran straight up, down again, and began loop two! At this point I am saying to myself "really? 10K? who do you think you are, Greta Weitz?" But the girls were ahead of me, and since Molly's first crosscountry experience at Maltby Middle School our mantra has been "Hinckas don't walk". So there was no way I could walk,never mind bag out. So on we went! The second loop was easier, knowing what was coming and talking myself through it...plus, the tide had gone out more so the hard sand was easier to reach. I did my traditional cartwheel over the finish line-since I was second to last I thought I could get away with it. I definitely surprised the finish line guys! Cheering us on across the finish line was a live brass band,complete with tubas and matching shirts of course! They were great! We headed in to the small sport club to turn in our race numbers and get our shirts. Our numbers would be entered in a lottery, we were told, but winners must be present. The drawing begins at 10pm, meanwhile turn in your shoe chip for a free beer! How happy was Jerry?! To top it all off, after much chatter in loud Dutch while surrounded by 150 sweaty runners all swilling their free Heineken's, the third name called was "Cherry Heneeka?"! All the Dutch yell out "Hoy!" after each winner, and the MC remembered Jer because he had asked about Molly's Team USA garb after she finished her run. So they all cheered for America!
We rolled into Pijnacker around 11:30pm, just after sunset, sore but proud of ourselves!

Before the run we take a warm up walk and do a quick photo

Stretching out the Lange-pad Way (Track club the girls run with in Rotterdam)

The starter, I'm telling you they take off fast!

Off go the men...

watching the 5K by the sea rescue garage

Molly coming through on her first lap

check out her cool running gloves!

Charlotte coming through(secretly cursing me for signing her up for the 10)!

isn't she tough?

my feet did leave the ground, honest :)

here is the beach run section, gorgeous, but hard in the sand

here's Molly

Chacha chugging along

even manages a smile for Dad and Danny

Danny took this cool photo

still smiling

Charlotte finishes strong

here comes the cartwheel....

and she made it, Molly was clapping for me!

The cool band

finished at last, still light at 9:45!