Gabby and I ran the Christmas Town 8k last year (read recap here) and we knew we wanted to race it again.  Except this time, the whole family decided to run!  This would be Makayla’s first 8k!  And since you get a discounted ticket to Busch Gardens Christmas Town, we decided to make a weekend out of it.

We headed to Williamsburg on Saturday to pick up our race packets and Busch Gardens tickets.  After picking up our packets, we headed straight to the park.  It really is a beautiful park, especially with all the Christmas decorations.  We rode a few rides and watched a couple of shows and then headed to the hotel to get some sleep.

We got ourselves ready for the race on Sunday morning.  My mom had crocheted festive ponytail hats for us to wear during the race.  After some obligatory selfies, we were headed back to the park to meet up with my mom, sister, future brother-in-law, brother, and sister-in-law, who were also running the race.

Steven lined up with my brother and the girls and I lined up together.  Everyone else was scattered amongst the corrals.  It was finally time to start and the girls and I started together, but quickly separated to settle into our own comfortable paces. 

I LOVE running through the park.  Although it is very hilly, the scenery makes up for it.  There were a few turnarounds spots where I would pass some family members headed in the opposite direction.  When I finished, Steven and Gabby had already completed the race and were waiting for me.  We hung out and waited for Makayla to update us that she was near the finish line and we cheered her into the finish line!!  Way to go, Makayla!  Everyone had finished at this point except for my mom so we waited to cheer her on!!  She never gives up!  She doesn’t let injuries, knee replacements, asthma, or anything else stop her from reaching the finish line.

Our official times:

Steven – 43:51.57 / 8:49 pace

Gabby – 47:30.79 / 9:33 pace

Kim – 48:31.90 / 9:46 pace (That’s an 8k PR for me!)

Makayla – 1:06:04 / 13.18 pace

After heading back to the hotel and cleaning up, we spent some time shopping at the outlets before heading home that evening.  The whole family has already talked about running this race again next year.  We are also excited to head back to Busch Gardens this spring for free, as those passes are also included in your race entry fee.  That’s definitely worth the cost of the race itself!