Local church holds third annual Arm of Hope 5K to support mission

Hope Community Church on Harrisburg Pike in Rheems will hold its third annual Arm of Hope 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 28. The race supports a week at summer camp for children for more than 300 children from the slums of Accra, Ghana.

What happens when you pit a middle-aged man against his teenage son in a 5K

My 13-year-old son, right, finished the Arm of Hope 5K in 20:15.
It was a personal record for him.
(Photo courtesey of Hope Community Church)

This is a story that starts a couple of years back, when my son expressed interest in running one of the Frozen Foot 5K races here in Elizabethtown.

Nat and I lined up together that March afternoon, and I coached him through the 3.1 miles. At times, he complained that "it hurts," but he kept running. And as much as I had wanted to run my own race (Nat had even said I didn't have to run with him), it was one of the most rewarding experiences to run with him.