Posted: May 4, 2006

Athletics: U.S. Road Races Partner with Schools to Provide Productive Youth Fitness Programs

In honor of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and National PE Day (May 3) organized by PE4Life and SGMA to focus attention on the importance of physical education in our schools, Running USA would like to recognize several youth running and fitness programs which are helping communities become more physically fit.

For a number of years, most major road races have had a companion kids run. Now event organizers are partnering with schools, clubs and after school programs to offer much needed multi-week training programs. What began as a way to publicize race week and build participant numbers has developed into very successful models of affordable physical fitness programs that can be adapted to all age groups and community types. For the participants, the high profile kids run offers a good short term goal but the potential reward of developing healthy habits can be life changing.

The recent proliferation of these programs from Michigan and Virginia suburbs to the inner cities of Houston, L.A. and New York could not have arrived at a better time. The lack of physical education in schools is a widespread national problem. According to the CDC's School Health Policies and Programs Study, only 8% of elementary schools, 6.4% of junior high/middle schools and 5.8% of senior high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year for all grades. And even when activities outside of school are considered, 26.9% of males and 40.1% of females in grades 9 thru 12 did not participate in at least 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity on three or more days a week or in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five or more days a week in 2003 (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey).

Although Americans are more aware now of the significant problems that lack of fitness cause, both for their families and the country's strained health care budget, it will take years and a communitywide effort to reverse the trends. Because of their low cost and simplicity, youth running and fitness programs such as those described below can make a significant contribution to this effort. Curriculums have been developed which respond to a variety of school district standards and all types of student populations. All of the programs are free or offer scholarships as needed and emphasize fun, non-competitive activities, positive reinforcement and goal setting. Many provide mentors, nutrition and educational components and motivating incentives.

Snapshots of 10 Successful Youth Running and Fitness Programs

Feelin' Good Mileage Club / Crim Road Races, Flint, MI
* 38 elementary schools and 7,000 children in the Crim Feelin' Good Mileage Club
* 600 youth aged 3-18 in 20 Crim Kids/Teen Summer Running Clubs
Crim's decision to hire a youth coordinator several years ago has paid off with a well-organized program of events for inner city and suburbs throughout the year and a $446,000 3-year grant from the Mott Foundation.

New York Road Runners Foundation / ING New York City Marathon, NY
* Serving 15,000 kids a WEEK in over 110 New York City neighborhoods and 1,000 in San Francisco and Tampa Bay areas
The NYRRF was established in 1998 by the organizers of the ING New York City
Marathon to motivate 'at-risk' youth to become physically fit. In both school day and after school settings, the Running Partners programs feature goal setting, nutritional and academic components.

Students Run L.A. / City of Los Angeles Marathon, CA
* 250 teachers from 140 schools supported 2,247 students in their training
* 2,231 of those students completed the full 26.2 mile distance in March, an impressive 99.3% finish rate!
The program which began with a teacher in 1987 focuses on at-risk students in junior and senior high schools. Another impressive statistic is that 90% of the participating seniors graduate from high school and 80% go on to college. Honda and Saucony provide running shoes for every participant.

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon's Youth Running Program, MN
* 2,000 students and 40 schools are expected to participate this year
Twin Cities has recently hired a full-time coordinator that will work with the metro area school districts to recruit participants. A year-round training program for elementary students that is internet based will be launched in the fall and a partnership with local park recreation programs will provide training opportunities this summer.

Read, Right, & Run Marathon(tm) / Spirit of St. Louis Marathon, MO
* 2,800 children from 67 schools read 72,800 books, performed 72,800 good deeds and ran 73,360 miles this year
This nationally recognized sustainable program, challenges children to READ 26 books, RIGHT the community with 26 good deeds and RUN 26.2 miles over a 6 month time period. Approximately 20% of the St. Louis Public Schools participated. In 2007, the program will expand to other cities in Missouri.

Just Run Program / Big Sur International Marathon
* serves 4,000 students and 40 schools in Monterey County, CA
The participants of this relatively new free program are in grades 2 thru 8 and are 67% Hispanic, 61% socio-economically disadvantaged and 19% are from migrant families. They accumulated about 90,000 miles of running and other activities with the help of teachers and parent volunteers in both school and after school settings. The program utilizes athletes of the Big Sur Distance Project for role models and offers many related programs which are described on the website JustRun.org.

The Fit for Life Kids Challenge / Sports Backers, Richmond, VA
* 3,000 elementary and middle school students are expected to complete the full program, 16,000 training logs have been distributed
This free incentive-based fitness program culminates with the James River Kids Run on Saturday, June 17. Youth are encouraged to run or walk 26 miles over the course of a 10-week period. The program is flexible and allows for teachers, volunteers and parents to take the initiative to get children involved. Miles can be completed at home, during school recess, at soccer practice or PE class.

Texas Children's Hospital Fun Run / Chevron Houston Marathon, TX
* middle school students from 85 Houston schools participated in the training
* 2,100 students completed the 2006 Texas Children's Hospital Fun Run The focus of this program is 'building a community of healthy children'. In 2002 PE teachers and a doctor at Texas Children's Hospital developed a training guidebook. This valuable resource which includes lessons on 'Safety, Hydration and Nutrition', 'The Metabolic System' and 'Training the Cardiovascular System' is being used in 14 school districts and has been adopted by the Houston Independent School District as part of the official curriculum for middle schools. The guide is currently being adapted for younger age groups.

Intermountain Kids Marathon / Salt Lake City Marathon, UT
* 750 kids are participating in the training program currently
This three month program which began in 2005 is for children 5 to 12 and has more than doubled its number of participants this year. Kids and parents can register online to complete 26 units of activities related to fitness, nutrition and good deeds.

Bolder Boulder Middle School Challenge, Boulder, CO
* 1,083 middle school students completed Bolder Boulder in 2005
* 44 schools around the state are training for this year's event
This Challenge began in 1995 and encourages sixth, seventh and eighth graders to participate in after school fitness programs. Students train alongside teachers for six to eight weeks to prepare to walk, jog or run the Bolder Boulder 10K race.

The next Running USA conference (February 5-8, 2007, San Diego) will feature a special Youth Programs Workshop for school, club or event officials who want to start or enhance youth running and fitness programs. Contact Linda Honikman, Running USA Youth Programs Coordinator, for more information at rric@runningusa.org or (805) 683-0408.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.

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