All through high school, university, and now, being married and moving away, I have continued the tradition of running in this annual race with my dad.

Though dad is a bit of a fair-weather runner, he still manages to finish, and always has the same goal of an hour or less.

I never realized how much I cherished this time together until this year.

I had injured my foot about two weeks before the Sun Run and was not even planning on doing it, until my dad called me up and said he had a registration for me.

The night before the run, I went to my parents' house to sleep, so that we could wake up early and drive in together.

I started feeling sick, but insisted that I could do it.

As we stood in line with the thousands of other participants, I felt extremely grateful for this tradition with my dad - a faithful father and friend with whom I love to spend time, even when we are both a couple of sad, sorry excuses for runners.

We decided to take it easy, and ended up taking pictures at different points of the race.

We even stopped completely and watched a band play.

With one shoe off for the last four kilometres, because of my sore foot and a fever of a 106, I walked across the finish line with my dad by my side.

Now, as I move away once again to somewhere so far that the tradition of running the Sun Run together may not be possible, I know my dad will maintain the tradition of being a truly admirable and encouraging person in my life.

I would like to thank my dad and all the dads out there who make their children feel loved and important.

Happy Father's Day.