Elementary school students join the fun in Nemours Children's Run ahead of Philadelphia Marathon Weekend
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's a big weekend. Thousands of runners will soon be lacing up for the Philadelphia Marathon.
Smaller races were held on Saturday ahead of the main event on Sunday.
Elementary school students are getting in on the fun of the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend.
"The race was great and I got a gold medal," Julia Ehrlich said.
Seven-year-old Julia from Fairmount is among dozens who took part in the Nemours Children's Run on the Ben Franklin Parkway Saturday.
"The airhorn wasn't that bad. I heard it, see," she said. "It was like a quiet airhorn."
Madeleine: Oh, so it didn't scare you or anything?
Julia: Yes, because I have autism.
Noisy, crowded events like the Children's Run can be sensory overload for some people with autism.
Julia's parents admire their daughter's bravery in taking on the challenge.
"She came in in a commanding last place and we couldn't be more proud," Adam Ehrlich said.
After the run was over, some kids continued the fun by playing on an inflatable slide. One 7-year-old said the hardest part of the run was keeping up with all the other kids in front of her.
"I have to run as fast as I could," Ava Tremaine said.
Some children did a short dash and others ran as long as a mile.
Eight-year-old Paolo Martinez Baca and his family traveled all the way from Mexico City for race weekend.
"It was my first race," Martinez Baca said. "It was fun and it was hard."
He said he can't wait to drink some water.
As for the Ehrlich family, the medal Julia earned serves not just as a mark of achievement but as a reminder of the great memories shared this day with her family.
