Can my 9 year old girl run a half marathon (not race) with me?

10/10.

Great work!

If you want her to be like Almaz Ayana then literally push her in the half marathon to see what her potential is.

Anton Krupicka ran his first marathon at 12 yr

JackHills wrote:..., judging by your responses to others you've already made up your mind as to whether she takes part or not.

This is my read too. This thread reads like the OP is looking to rationalize his decision, not really looking for a range of opinions.

In the event I'm reading the OP wrong, I will weigh in with my opinion, as a middle-aged man with a lot of miles under the hood. I think it's probably unhealthy to encourage such a young child to enter organized races, especially as long as the HM. A kid that age should be (IMHO) encouraged to play a variety of sports and games, not train and race distance. If she has a true aptitude and love for racing distance, it will show itself when she is physically ready for it (i.e. in her teens or later).

All the best to your little girl!

LoneStarXC wrote:

runwithnataly wrote:

She has a run a 5k and a 10k... both placing first in her age division... what is your reasoning?>

The 10 and under age division isn’t very competitive... sorry. Running a half marathon at 9 is just begging for stress fractures.

Maybe where you're from the 10 and under division isn't very competitive. My 10 year old son has 5k age group wins so far this year in 19:30, 18:58, and 19:24.

You're right, my decision coming into this was "YES". I WAS so excited that she wanted to try it, but I wanted to see what the norm was. As I stated before, I am a newer runner, my daughter is the one who got me into it. There is a lot of running initiatives through our schools where I live. They get grants for it.

They lead 5k and 10ks locally where tons of kids run them, she just seemed to naturally be able to do it with no injury so far.

I'm not sure where the idea that I wanted her to do it more than she wanted to do it came from, that assumption is ridiculous. I don't know if someone is assuming that based off their own life decisions, but I could care less if she runs with me or not, she will be there to support me either way.

I am trying to foster her love for running by promoting the things shes interested in well without safe boundries. I have read ALL over the internet about kids running them, but just like on this thread, this is a highly controversial subject. I was looking for logic and reasoning, and maybe even other's experience... I guess I came to the wrong place.

Yes, this race allows 10 and under. A girl finished it last year that was 10, and I called the race to make sure, which they said they've had girls her age do it previous years...

Thank you for your reply. I am going to consult with her pediatrician, who is a runner with young sons that run and see what her thoughts are.

Yes, I originally came into this thread with the decision that it was okay, but I wanted to hear from other's experiences as well. I unfortunately encountered a lot of rude remarks and a lot less constructive feedback.

Our daughter plays a variety of sports, mainly soccer and volleyball.. she is an athlete by nature, and extremely self motivated.

As of now, I have actually decided that she can wait a few years to run a half marathon. I am personally in NO rush. This is about fostering her interests safely. If the over-all consensus is that this is more dangerous that beneficial, then I can hear that.

As I was saying on another response, our school system has a running program that is fueled by grant money and my daughter has really taken to it. The program puts on 5k/10k races.

Her passion for running ignited mine, I was not a runner before her. In result, I have lost around 56 lbs and I have loved running with her a few days a week. She ran her first 5k before I did, haha.

She ran her 5k in sub 20 minutes, kids are fast. The boy in her age division ran it around 18 minutes... the girls that trailer her were within seconds.

I don't want to ever push her to do anything that she doesn't want to do, just came here looking for advice, as I am a newer runner and don't know the norm.

not a doctor wrote:

Why?

Because she wants to?

My daughter wants a pony but kids dont always get what they want.

I see no benefit in allowing her to do it.

You being too poor to own a horse has nothing to do with this.

There is no benefit other than I want to to running a half marathon, and I'm a grown man. If she wants to, it can be done safely.

runwithnataly wrote:

She ran her 5k in sub 20 minutes, kids are fast. The boy in her age division ran it around 18 minutes... the girls that trailer her were within seconds.

Congrats. She would be a top-5 on many high school XC teams.

Thanks for your advice. I think you're right- there is no compelling reason to do so except maybe her desire. I do think she can physically and mentally handle it, but I think I will wait.

That was what I originally was thinking. I think I will wait. I will see what happens over the summer and when I start to train for it. She decides when she wants to run with me. So far she's run with me about 3 days a week, mostly because she has volleyball and soccer practices the other days. I have called her Pediatrician and I will see what she thinks. Her sons go to my daughter's school and they've run events together, hopefully she has insight from a PEDs perspective and a parent's whose kids are runners perspective.

I think so, but more than running her passion is volleyball. We are just trying to foster her interests in a healthy way. I appreciate your kind responses!

I would make sure she realizes how far 13.1 miles is before you put any further thought into it. It's twice as far as you say she has ever run,,,, about.

Also remember that a 9 year old does not carry the same amount of water weight as an adult. Proper hydration is going to be 3 times as critical as what it would be for an adult. Frequent hydration stops, more electrolytes, etc.

I was someone who was pushed to run distance by my parents as a kid, and from my perspective it is a bad idea. When I turned 18, I was done with running. I was done with my parents. I was done. It took me 21 years to get back the joy of running. The joy of competing. Put some thought into it. Personally, I would hold her back. There's nothing to be gained by having her run distance at the age of 9. Nothing!

Whether it's good or bad for her health, I'm not going to get into that. I can only relate my experiences, and my life experiences tell me that it's a bad idea for her well being.

I didn't read all the way to the end. I'm glad that you are reconsidering your idea.

I appreciate t hat, however, I am not personally pushing her. Of course I would be proud of her, but I personally don't care if she runs it or not. This is her desire, therefore I am just trying to see how it goes. As for now, my decision is to make her wait a few years.. the passion/desire should still be there.

runwithnataly wrote:Her passion for running ignited mine, I was not a runner before her. In result, I have lost around 56 lbs and I have loved running with her a few days a week.

That's great.

As somebody who IS a very experienced runner, my heartfelt advice to you is to enjoy running with your daughter if / when she asks you to, and push off any thoughts of competition. Keep it fun and social and it can be a really nice father-daughter bonding thing for you guys. If you let it become a competitive pursuit so young, it has the potential to go one of several ways you probably don't want.

Good luck!