I love pacing young athletes

This morning I had the privilege of pacing young Felix to a Parkrun PB—and wow, what a joy that gave me. He smashed through the 20-minute barrier, by a solid 17 seconds, and while I’m sure he’s proud, I honestly think I was the happier one just being there to assist.

I’ve run plenty of PBs myself over the years, and I’ll keep adapting them into age-relative ones as time goes on. But here’s the thing: the joy of hitting a PB is often short-lived. Sometimes it barely lasts longer than the buzz of stopping my watch.

Supporting someone else, though—that’s different. Helping another runner hit their best leaves me with a sense of fulfillment that’s deeper, more intense, and lingers much longer. And when that someone is a kid or a young athlete, it feels extra special. It’s like you’ve nudged open a new door of possibility for them, boosted their confidence, given them a tiny piece of belief. Chances are, they’ll forget you were even there. But you won’t. And that’s more than ok.

It reminds me of a line from Seth Godin: “The most successful givers aren’t doing it because they’re told to, they do it because it’s fun. It gives THEM joy.”

Thanks, Felix—you made my morning