To not run in the mothers race at sports day!

[Generallyok]

I'm dreading our children's sports day which is coming up next week. My kids desperately want me to run in the mothers race but the thought terrifies me! So many mothers at our school start the day in Lycra and a lot have personal trainers! So just really want to know if anyone else will be running in the mothers race and if not what's the best excuse.

sore ankle

Just do it. Show your children and other children who aren't confident that trying something is better than sitting on the sidelines. We had beanbag on head relay races instead of sprints to make it more inclusive (arranged by form).

You don't have a running bra on.

No help here. I do it even though I hate it (am v overweight) to model the "taking part not winning" thing. That said, I didn't go to Sports Day at all this year because it's so tedious.

Flat chested that wouldn't work!

I took a job at DS2's school specifically to avoid this!

I'm joking. A little bit.

It's just a bit of fun. Your kids will be proud of you for doing it. How far is it?

Just say you've turned your ankle and what a shame, you'll need to sit this one out. Offer to look after other' bags etc.

Practise this week!

Oh god. Is this a thing?!

Don't grow up DS!

It could be worse. You could be a mega famous athletes, like Kelly Holmes or Jessica Ennis Hill, tightroping between showing off and actually getting beaten. As it is, no one will care.

It's my first sports day this year, I had forgotten about the Mother's race. Will tell myself the above rather than training.

My local ration station offered yesterday to send in a "ringer" for mums who didn't want to do the race

Just don't do it. I never felt any pressure to do so.

Find a friend and do a sedate double act? Like, you could take your handbags and gently jog.

If it's anything like the dc's school it won't actually be a run. It'll be a walking 'race' balancing bean bags on heads. I hate it . I'd rather go down in a blaze of glory losing to the fast runners than titting around with a bean bag.

I think it depends on your kids. If they're very sporty and do well on sports day then I would explain it's not your thing and don't do it. If they're not very athletic and dread sports day (like my DD1) then I would do it in solidarity.

I stupidly agreed to run the mum's race a few years ago (I have fibromyalgia, some days I can barely walk up the stairs, I don't know what possessed me).

Fell over in the middle of the field. On my back, like a turtle.

Now they ask "Would anyone apart from LittleWelsh's mum like to run in the mum's race"?

Do it, fall once, be excused FOREVER.

Don't do it

I cracked a rib once

True story

I never did it. It was a full on Olympic competition at our school. DH entered the dad's race the first year, look like this at the dad's doing their Pre race warm up and then nearly got pushed off the track once they got their elbows out!

But definitely good to show them it's the taking part that counts

I did it.

I won.

I hurt.

Very similar x-post with Rufus there, sorry about that

Just hang back a bit. All the keenies will be at the front and there'll be a group of people on the line, giving you the excuse of there being too many people already and there wasn't room for you as well. Employed the same strategy yesterday and it worked a treat!

They stopped doing those races at DD's school. Mainly because they couldnt be bothered to fit it in.

I have never run the mum's race because I'm mean. It just takes a firm NO! and a willingness to overlook the DC sad faces