Mother-Son To Tackle Cotton Row Run
MADISON- Steph and Caden Gibbs are not only mother and son, but they’re also running partners. The bonding time they have utilizing the healthy sport of running will include something totally new for eight-year old Caden who will run alongside his mother for the first time in a 10K distance when both race off from the starting gun at the 2018 Cotton Row Run on Memorial Day.
Caden, a second grade student at Mill Creek Elementary, has a plan for the race held in downtown Huntsville. “I will try and stick with my mother during most of the race and as we near the finish line I plan on sprinting in my attempt to achieve my goal of beating my mom,” said Caden.
“He’s been working extremely hard in preparation for the race and I think he’s ready,” added Steph.
The remainder of the Gibbs family consisting of Steph’s husband and Caden’s father, Jeremy, and the family’s second child, four-year old Sydney, will be along the race course to monitor the action and near the finish line to cheer their loved ones on to success on a day of celebration.
Steph, 37, works as a budget analysist for Thompson-Gray of Huntsville. She’s also working feverishly to becoming a certified Functional Strength Coach while shadowing the skills needed for certification at II XCL Strength and Conditioning in Madison. With all she does, Steph loves her time on the roads running, especially with her time with Caden.
“I run three times a week and usually run with Caden about half that time mostly in local neighborhoods,” added Steph. “For me to run alone, I do love that as if I’ve had a stressful day running it gives me time to clear my head and I feel like I can face whatever I need to do.”
As for Caden, he’s also a high-intensity athlete playing both soccer and swimming. His take on running is one where he likes lacing up his running shoes and hitting the local runs with his mother. Steph has taken the opportunity of their time together to teach Caden the proper way to run and avoid injuries.
Caden said, “I listen to my mom about running as she tells me to constantly breathe through my nose and not my mouth. She has told me a lot about the race since this will be her fifth trip in the Cotton Row Run.”
The one area of the hilly, but fast course that winds through the old streets of Huntsville is the dreaded “Hill.” Located at the three-mile mark on Mountain Wood, the 710-foot portion of the course has been called brutal, heartbreaking and just downright intimidating. The elevation rise from bottom to top is 100 feet.
“I just want to make the hill,” said Caden of what he will face on May 28. “My mom usually sprints up the hill and she has told me I should try and do the same.”
Steph is an experienced runner participating in about 50 races, but Caden is an up and comer in the sport and usually beats Steph across the finish line. Caden has numerous times held back on his speed to try and have his mother along his heels. Steph has posted a personal best in the 10K distance of 56-minutes.
When the thousands of runners step to the start line at 7:00 a.m., Steph and Caden will be among them. Both feel they are well prepped for the endeavor and an additional chance to be running partners.
