For the El Paso’s running Kilbourns, competing in races together is the family pastime.
The family patriarch, 44-year-old James Kilbourn, has run races ranging from a 5K (3.1 miles) to marathons with six of his seven children and he expects he’ll be pushing his 3-month old in a stroller across a 5K finish line in the next month or so to make it all seven.
On Sunday he’ll line up at El Paso’ Raiz Federal Credit Union Half Marathon with his middle daughter, just-turned14-year-old Melita, like he did last year, but Melita makes it clear the “running together” is only true to a point.
“I’m generally not running with him,” said Melita, an eighth grader at Billy Sybert School who plans on running cross country for Montwood in the fall. “More of, ‘I’ll meet you at the end.’ After I finish I’ll grab three or four waters, then sit on the ground. A lot of waiting” for her father.
“She’s very competitive, I’m not; I’m slow,” said James, who ran three marathons last year. “She will probably finish 30 minutes ahead of me, which is OK. I’ll run with her as long as I can, then I’ll say, ‘Good luck.’