Legendary Minnesotans – The 9-Year-Old That Won A 10k By Mistake

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Today's  Legendary Minnesotan is Kade Lovell. in 2019, when he was 9-years-old, he was running the Francis Franny Flyer 5K, but won the Francis Franny Flyer 10k by mistake.

The race in Sartell, Minnesota (about 14 minutes northwest of St Cloud) was a rainy one, even some thunder. Like most races that have both a 5k and a 10k, the course is similar up to a point, then you turn to take the shorter route. And just as often, the course starts off marked, but signs get taken, or are hard to see, so they post a volunteer to guide you.

In this race, Kade Lovell was pretty sure he was supposed to turn right, but the volunteer said, "Keep going straight!" so he did. Runner's World interviewed him...

“I was running and didn’t see anyone else around me,” Kade told Runner’s World. “Then I saw the sign that said, ‘10K turnaround.’ I knew I was supposed to turn earlier.”

But Lovell didn't stop, he wanted to finish the race, so he just kept going in the rain.

Imagine being a parent and your kid is entered in a 5k, but all the other kids come in, and your kid isn't crossing the finish line. It'd be a heck of a worry. And it was. Runner's World talked to Kade's mom, too.

"Someone needs to find him,” Heather said. “I’m freaking out, I’m crying, I’m flustered, and no one really knows what to do. A fireman is getting ready to search the course when I get a call my brother-in-law, who tells me there is a cute little kid in a red shirt running the 10K.”

What was Kade's time? A little more than 48 minutes. The closest runner was a fourty-year-old about a minute back. And that's how Kade Lovell became a Legendary Minnesotan. He won a 10k by mistake.

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

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