The 2013 Members 1st 5K Run

Daniel is eating his Banana before the race so that he does not cramp up.

Daniel ran in the "Members 1st 5K Run for Kids" today at 10:00 AM. This 5K run was for the support of Children’s Miracle Network at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. This race took place at the Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Rossmoyne Administrative Headquarters, 5000 Louise Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

At the start of the race, I told Daniel that this is a sprint for 3.1 miles. Look at the above video. The man in the white said to the man in the black, "I know he was not talking to me!"

About 12 Minutes into the race it was time for Daniel to start passing people.

Here is the end of the races. I knew Daniel could run faster so I got on his behind to do just that.

The Flash ran in his usual manor, placing first with a time of 23 Minutes, 58.68 Seconds. They did not have an age group for 8 year old Daniel so he ran in the 10 to 15 year age group and won. He placed 25th overall out of 87 people.

After Daniel finished, a number of people were astonished that someone that young can run such a race. It has become normal for me to hold a question and answer session after his races. People want to know how can they train their children to run like Daniel. Others want to know if it is safe to go through the type of training that Daniel does. A women said that she saw Daniel behind the building running. I told her that Daniel had to warm up before he ran the race. One person asked why Daniel wears a Jamaican Shirt. I explained that Daniel's father is Jamaican. Daniel being proud of who he is had to interrupt to say that he is half Jamaican. Andrew S. Johnson, the Outreach Team Leader at Members 1st told me that he was in awe when watching Daniel run. He offered any assistance that he could in future events that Daniel will be in.  

People have question about Daniel's training!

I run into many people including local coaches that tell me that 8 year old Daniel Tulloch, the Jamaican Flash should be pacing himself when running a 5K. One person told me that I am trying to kill him. Most people don't have a clue what intermediate distance running is about.

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 Kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards), that is usually run as a road race. Running a 5K is a race that is only 3.1 miles long.  From this you see the difference in distance. One is a little over 26 miles and the other is a little over 3 miles. 

I think you can see that you would run these races differently. Daniel has been trained for the last 4 years to run 3.1 miles in a sprint just like if he were running one quarter of a mile on a track. Here you don't pace yourself because if you do, your competitors will just pass you by. In a marathon, running 26 miles, you have to pace yourself. Even here, depending on the level of competition, you will still have to pick up your speed. In the Olympics, this is very near a sprint. 

Why? Because in world class running if you can't nearly sprint 26 miles, you don't become champion of the world. This is all about competition. 

The Jamaican Flash will probably never run a Marathon. He is an intermediate runner, running 800 Meters (1/2 Mile), 1500 meters (1 mile), and 3200 meters (2 Miles). He uses 5k races to train for running the 1500 Meter and when he turns 11 years old, running nationally in the 3200 Meter. So yes, not only  will he have to sprint these races but also increase his speed. With daily training he will improve over time just like he has over the past 4 years.

The objective for Daniel is to become a world champion by the year 2028!