To in-Finn-ity and beyond

He was rather enthusiastic about it. At first. 
A bit less when he saw the crowd, and the mess, and the lack of organisation. 
A lot less when the pushing and shoving erupted on the start line. At least 5 minutes before the actual start. 
He hated it when the first race was cancelled, because the muppets at the front of the race took a wrong turn. 
He started getting worried when he did not see his dad in the ensuing chaos. 
Two minutes later he broke down in tears. 
Eight minutes later his dad finally appeared (that muppet). 

Rather than get them going again straight away, the disorganisers had opted to get the U10 girls going before the second attempt for the U9 boys. 

He was still choking on his tears when I finally found him, just before the second race. 

We agreed there and then that running a cross-country race is not crucial in life.

We got caught in a gathering of about 200 bikers on the way back. He perked up pretty fast. 

Extra shot: Two brothers-in-law walking in the park today. No hard feelings. That's the beauty of the GAA.