Santa Scamper: A recap

I scampered. But I didn't find Santa.

Tonight was the one-mile Santa Scamper, the "fun run" held before Appleton's Christmas parade. You run down the parade route which is lined with people who are waiting for the parade to start and for Santa to appear.

I went into the Santa Scamper just wanting to have a good time. I knew where my mom was sitting with The Rugrats and was planning on moving off to the side of the road to get a high five or two or three. I didn't wear a watch and wasn't really concerned about time. I just wanted to run and enjoy it.

Of course, there were a few mishaps.

First there was the TV van that was parked less than a half a block from the starting line. And of course it was the side of the street I was running on. So I had to weave to avoid running smack dab into the van, the camera man and the reporter. Seriously. The camera man I could understand him being in the road. The reporter? Get on the sidewalk.

Then there were the folks who would run really fast to get around you and all of a sudden just stop and walk. Ummm, you couldn't have walked behind me? To the mom with the two little girls who were all decked out in red snowflake sweatshirts and Santa hats with blinking lights, yes, I'm talking to you.

And since it was a Santa Scamper right before the Christmas parade (we don't mess around with holiday parades) there were a ton of kids. Which is fine. Except I almost ran a few over. Especially the little boy who came to a screeching halt right in front of me. As we were running downhill. Not good. Luckily I swerved, avoided him, and kept running.

Even though there were a few obstacles to avoid, it was a good time. I didn't wear a watch and didn't care about the time, but the clock at the finish line said I finished around 11 minutes and 30 seconds. Not too bad if you consider the crazy start and swerving to avoid all the people who randomly stopped in front of me.

Besides, the rock hard Dilly Bar I got at the end made the run worth it.