Avid athlete and APRO CEO Charles Smitherman spent Thanksgiving morning with his family participating in the “Beast B4 the Feast” trail race in their hometown of Dalton, Georgia – and leaving a lot of their fellow runners behind.
For the seventh year, Smitherman, his wife Dr. Marina Smitherman, and their sons Liam (14yo) and Owen (11yo) all completed the 4.6-mile run through the Raisin Woods Bike Park – with Liam and Owen coming in first and second respectively in their age division (male 11-19), and Marina placing second in her age division (female 40-49). Liam, with a finish time of just 39:00 minutes, also came in fifth among all divisions.
“I tried to keep up with Owen, which proved to be a mistake,” said Charles. “So no medal for me this year!”
Smitherman says Marina originally introduced him to the running life when they met more than 20 years ago; Liam and Owen both began running with their parents around the age of four. Today, both boys compete in cross-country athletics.
“I absolutely love losing races to Liam and Owen,” Charles said. “When they turned about ten, the tide shifted for them and me; up til then, I’d run with them to pace them and provide encouragement and race tactics. Now, they razz me before races and wait for me at the finish line – or sometimes, turn around and run back to me on the course. But I still think I could take them at any distance over ten miles!”
More than 290 people participated in the Beast B4 the Feast this year – which also includes a one-mile fun run/walk. The event collects nonperishable food items for Dalton food banks; this year, 872 cans were contributed.
