In the crowd of thousands of Cook Childrens' 5K participants, there were the amateurs like Natalie Calderon.
"I never really been in a race and this is my first time racing," she said.
12-year-old Cryslan Tucker is a little more experienced. She finished in 19 minutes and encouraged others to run.
"It gets you healthier, it makes it easier to do the other sports," she said.
Many of the schools that participated in Saturday’s race are part of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price’s initiative called "FitWorth” which promotes increased physical activity and proper nutrition.
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"This marathon, and the 10k, and 5k continues to grow and grow,” Mayor Price said. “We love showcasing Fort Worth and we love our healthy lifestyle."
For parents like Marci Grubbs from Saginaw, the step toward a healthy lifestyle is welcome news.
"It's very encouraging it boosts their self-esteem and teaches them that they can do anything," Grubbs said.
There were many moments during the race when fathers and sons crossed the finish line together. It turned the 3.1 mile course into a family bonding experience.
"It's just like the camaraderie that you have with a football team except it's with my son and i," said Jesse Hejany, the father of 7-year-old Hauss. "We went out there and shed a little together and it was just fun."
The Cowtown 2013 continues Sunday with the Half Marathon, Ultra Marathon and Marathon races. Click on this sentence for more information. As of Saturday evening, more than 26,000 people have signed up for the weekend's events.
