Chip and Joanna Gaines’ son Crew is just 3 years old and he already ran his first marathon.
On Monday, Chip, 47, uploaded a clip to Instagram of him jogging with his son during the third annual Silo District Marathon this past weekend in Waco, Texas.
“Good job,” he tells his youngest son as he runs beside him. “Dang, Crew! You’re beating us.”
In the caption, the father-of-five playfully bragged, “My baby is better than your baby.” He then included the hashtags “SiloDistrictMarathon” and “crewsLife.”
Chip also shared a series of photos of the duo running alongside the other participants in a separate Instagram post.
“Today kicked off our 3rd Silo District Marathon—and our 1st without my friend @gigrunewald,” he began in the caption. “Thousands of runners gathering in Waco today/tomorrow to support cancer research. Me and the kids ran hard for you today, Gabe!”
This wasn’t Crew’s first time at the Silo District Marathon. When he was 10-months old, Chip pushed him in a stroller for a half-marathon.
According to the “Fixer Upper” stars’ Magnolia website, the Silo District Marathon weekend, which ran this year from April 22-24, began in 2018 as a partnership between Chip and former professional runner Gabriele “Gabe” Grunewald.
Gabe was a distance runner who studied at the University of Minnesota in 2009. While she was in college, Gabe was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the salivary gland called adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).
The following year, she was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer. But, she continued to race. She competed in the 1,500-meter race at the 2012 Olympic trials after going through treatments and surgery.
In 2016, the ACC returned. Her husband, Justin Grunewald, shared on his Instagram page in June 2019 that his wife had died from cancer at age 32.
Joanna, 44, honored Gabe in her Instagram post about the third annual event.
She uploaded a video that included footage of the race, which raises support and awareness for cancer research, and showed participants receiving their medals.
“It all started with a chance encounter with @gigrunewald in Central Park in 2017,” she wrote in the caption. “She inspired Chip to run his first marathon and in true Chip fashion, he decided not only to run, but to host the race here in Waco, TX.”
The Magnolia Network owner added, “Now, three Silo District Marathons later, we run in honor of our dear friend, Gabe. We felt her spirit with us this weekend.”
According to her post, the race raised over $150,000 for the Brave Like Gabe Foundation–which was founded by the late runner–and $50,000 for the Community Cancer Association of Waco.
The Gaines have a history of supporting charitable causes.
Last year, Chip shaved off his shoulder-length tresses after raising more than $300,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, according to a press release shared with TODAY at the time.
He said that he would donate his hair to Children with Hair Loss, an organization that makes and provides wigs for children in need.
