Manteca’s Debbie Gross hadn’t done much running since her college days but when an opportunity came up recently to participate in a 2-mile race in Escalon with a friend, she decided to give it a try.
Although neither friend trained prior to the race, both managed to finish in the top five, inspiring Gross to run again.
“We thought if we could do that race with no training imagine what we could do if we tried to push ourselves a little” she said.
Using her treadmill as a source for training, Gross prepared for a 5k race at the annual Color the Skies festival which was held on Labor Day weekend at Mistlin Park in Ripon. The festival, which supports Children’s Hospital Central California, was filled with hot air balloons, games, food, and activities for children along with hundreds of runners racing together towards the finish line. Taking 15th place out of 60 for her age group (Females 40-49) and 155th out of 385 runners overall, Gross was pleased with the results and is looking forward to seeing how she does next year.
“I was fortunate enough to keep a steady pace and finish all the way through,” Gross said.
Making it a true family day, her two children, 11-year-old Morgan and 8-year-old Dylan also ran in the festival’s kids race called, Kids Fun Run. In this particular race all participates were considered winners and received a medal for their good effort. Determined to be a part of the family fun, supportive husband and devoted dad, Rob cheered his wife and children on with enthusiasm from the sidelines.
“It was very fun to come together as a family and be there for each other” Gross said. “We get so busy in our lives running around that we forget to take time for each other.”
Gross is now looking into the possibility of running another 5K race in the upcoming Pumpkin Run at the Manteca Street Fair on the first weekend of October. Knowing that her family will take time to be together on that day whether as runners or simply as her biggest fans and supporters Gross happily admits, “There is something so special about finishing something you set out to accomplish and having [those] you love watch you put it all together.”
When Gross isn’t running on a treadmill, running in a race or running around to see her children play one of their favorite sports, basketball, baseball, soccer or karate, she and her husband are busy capturing the essence of youth sports along with family and senior portraits through their family business Future Stars Photography.
To learn more about Future Stars Photography or to wish Debbie Gross good luck on her next run visit www.ourfuturestars.com or call (209) 679-3117.
Although neither friend trained prior to the race, both managed to finish in the top five, inspiring Gross to run again.
“We thought if we could do that race with no training imagine what we could do if we tried to push ourselves a little” she said.
Using her treadmill as a source for training, Gross prepared for a 5k race at the annual Color the Skies festival which was held on Labor Day weekend at Mistlin Park in Ripon. The festival, which supports Children’s Hospital Central California, was filled with hot air balloons, games, food, and activities for children along with hundreds of runners racing together towards the finish line. Taking 15th place out of 60 for her age group (Females 40-49) and 155th out of 385 runners overall, Gross was pleased with the results and is looking forward to seeing how she does next year.
“I was fortunate enough to keep a steady pace and finish all the way through,” Gross said.
Making it a true family day, her two children, 11-year-old Morgan and 8-year-old Dylan also ran in the festival’s kids race called, Kids Fun Run. In this particular race all participates were considered winners and received a medal for their good effort. Determined to be a part of the family fun, supportive husband and devoted dad, Rob cheered his wife and children on with enthusiasm from the sidelines.
“It was very fun to come together as a family and be there for each other” Gross said. “We get so busy in our lives running around that we forget to take time for each other.”
Gross is now looking into the possibility of running another 5K race in the upcoming Pumpkin Run at the Manteca Street Fair on the first weekend of October. Knowing that her family will take time to be together on that day whether as runners or simply as her biggest fans and supporters Gross happily admits, “There is something so special about finishing something you set out to accomplish and having [those] you love watch you put it all together.”
When Gross isn’t running on a treadmill, running in a race or running around to see her children play one of their favorite sports, basketball, baseball, soccer or karate, she and her husband are busy capturing the essence of youth sports along with family and senior portraits through their family business Future Stars Photography.
To learn more about Future Stars Photography or to wish Debbie Gross good luck on her next run visit www.ourfuturestars.com or call (209) 679-3117.
