AUSTIN, Texas —
An iconic Austin race known for kicking off the city's racing season is celebrating 20 years on Friday.
Zilker Relays raises money for the nonprofit Marathon Kids.
It's bringing families together, like a father and son who are on a team together and say running has allowed them to find a new connection.
For Matt and Noah Greenfield, exercise is important.
When the pandemic started, Noah Greenfield decided to join his father on his regular runs.
"So at first I was like, 'Well, my dad's going outside. He's doing a lot of exercise.' I was like, ‘Hmm, maybe I could join him,'" Noah Greenfield said.
So, the pair started running together. Matt Greenfield said he wasn't a very serious runner before, but now his son encourages him to step it up.
"It's important to me that I can keep up, keep in sight of him. It's not important for me to be as fast as him because he just gets faster and faster, and I get older and older," Matt Greenfield said.
So far, the pair has run in a few of the same races, but Zilker Relays will be their first time running on the same team.
"Very excited. Pumped." Noah Greenfield said. "Because, like, it's my dad ... He can always, like, just take the pressure off me because like, just looking at how he runs, seeing his tempo, how he's going to keep it. It just inspires me to also run like that."
The two are inspiring each other.
"It's really special to be able to actually run on a team. Noah is very competitive, and that will inspire us all to go out there and run as fast as we can," Matt Greenfield said.
Noah Greenfield is in it to win it, while his dad just wants to keep up. But both are aiming to make the other proud.
Zilker Relays, a 10-mile relay race, gets started at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Zilker Park. There will also be an after-party with a beer garden and live music.