Kids Running 101

by Laura Clark

According to Hal Higdon, senior writer for Runner’s World magazine, our children and grandchildren will be at the forefront of the next running boom. The first upswing began in the mid 1970s when Boston Billy ran proud and fast. The second was spurred by Title IX women and emphasized camaraderie and going the distance. The third resurgence is up to us and depends upon how well we do in transferring our enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle to our kids and grandkids.

Children today are definitely at risk with computers, carpools and fast food making steady inroads. While it is easy to blame parents and schools, our lifestyle, with stranger danger worries, heavily trafficked streets and fewer stay-at-home moms, all but eliminates neighborhood pick-up games. So it is up to us. Besides furnishing a good example with our own active lifestyles, we need to promote opportunities for our kids to pursue similar goals.

While there are specific standards for Little League baseball and Pop Warner football, the path to running is not so clear cut. So what’s a parent to do? Sure, you may run with your child, but we all know that kids also need validation from their peers and occasional show-and-tell awards.

Resources

One of the easiest ways for parents and kids to get started is to log onto www.presidentschallenge.org. Some of us may hesitate, remembering Army-style school fitness tests conducted at the behest of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. Be assured that this modern version is completely private and a lot more fun. Families can create personal activity logs and work to earn inexpensive awards. The computer logs provide concrete reinforcement and appeal to the online generation.

For running specific guidance try www.kidsrunning.com, developed by Carol Goodrow as an offshoot to the adult Runner’s World web page. Designed with both parents and kids in mind, this site places dual emphasis on both exercise and nutrition. Kids can join the Happy Feet, Healthy Food Club which offers healthy snack ideas, a kids’ training log and creative writing opportunities. Parents and teachers can link to other successful programs such as Girls on the Run International and Run/Walk Across America. While you are at it, visit www.halhigdon.com and click on the “Kids Running” section to learn how much distance and frequency is too much.

Once you have gotten started, be aware that to maintain motivation, kids need specific goals rather than vague “get in shape” tips. An easy way to do this is to sign up for one of the kids fun runs held in connection with longer adult races. Go to www.hmrrc.com for a Capital Region schedule (see new “Kid’s Races” page) and www.adirondackrunners.com for areas farther north and, of course, our own Calendar of Events.

Races and Fun Runs

The closest to a big-time experience are the fun runs held in conjunction with Freihofer’s Run for Women in Albany on June 3. About 2,000 boys and girls ages 3 to 13 years participate annually and all receive goodie bags, cookies, a number “1” race bib and a T-shirt. The distances range from 50 meters to one-mile, making it an excellent starter experience. It served as my granddaughter Elena’s first effort. She finished smiling, with her Dad in tow, and beamed, “I wanted to do my best.” The Harness Track Mile in Saratoga Springs on August 14 also offers shorter sets of quarter-mile and half-mile circuits. Finishing in the middle of the pack, Elena, and all the other tykes as well, were convinced they had won. Which, of course, they did.

Earlier in the schedule, local St. Patrick’s celebrations, Runnin’ of the Green (Island) in Green Island on March 11 hosts 200-meter, 400-meter and one-mile races and the Shamrock Shuffle in Glens Falls on March 19, has a three-quarter mile Leprechaun Leap. In April, the Delmar Dash in Delmar on April 2 offers one-quarter, one-half and one-mile options and the St. Peter’s Keys Run in the Saratoga Spa State Park on April 22 has T-shirts, ribbons and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cone coupons for all milers.

For a unique family event, head out to Dodge the Deer at Schodack Island State Park (new location!) on April 23. This is as close as you can get to Disneyland in New York with “Dodge” the deer, “Chase” the chipmunk and “Bully” the bear joining in the fun. New this year is the Diaper Dash, an 80-foot “crawling” race on grass with bottle stops every 20 feet. There are two age groups, 0-11 months and 11 months and up. The rules are clear: everyone participating must wear a diaper. As if that isn’t enough, there is a Dodge drawing contest and games to keep the kids amused while their parents run the 5K.

Older children who would like a more structured program are invited to join the Stockade-athon Youth Marathon. For 25 days preceding the November 12 event, youngsters run a mile each day. They are supervised by a parent and encouraged to keep a log. Mile 26 is the Stockade-athon loop around Schenectady’s Duck Pond on race day.

Summer Camps, Year-Round Clubs and Groups

If your kids yearn for companionship on the run, there are also summer camps and year-round clubs and groups. The Adirondack Runners, under the guidance of Heidi and Bob Underwood host a four-week camp for 11 year-olds through 12th graders which culminates with the Cole’s Woods Cross-Country Run in Glens Falls on August 13. According to Heidi, “Our biggest goal for kids is that they learn to love running through the company of kids their own age and with workouts that are appropriate for their level.”

Local clubs are affiliated with United States Track & Field and can be found by visiting www.usatfadir.org. Many focus on the cross-country and track & field Junior Olympics. Junior Olympic competition is in two-year age groups, which means that younger kids will not get stuck competing with those who are physically more developed. Athletes need not belong to a club or school group, but must have a USATF membership card. According to Nicole De Pasquale, USATF youth chair, the goal is to provide a positive experience. Athletes “encourage each other to do their own personal best … and parents are all very encouraging, cheering equally for the first and last runners.”

The USATF local clubs are an especially good deal for elementary kids who are ready for a more structured program than their school may offer. For example, according to Mark Tebbano, the Clifton Park Track Club was founded to introduce youth ages 8 to 14 to cross-country and track & field, with the goal of getting youngsters ready for competition. Registration is in April and their season runs from May through July. Contact Mark at tebbanom@aol.com. Lake Placid hosts a fall IronKids Cross-Country running program which is entirely supported by the Ironman Community Fund. In the winter, they switch to cross-country skiing and biathlon. Email Rich at rtcostanza@adelphia.net.

Averill Park Road Runners are currently very active in track & field, cross-country and also participate in local road races. Go to www.timesunion.com and select “Communities.” For a more diversified club, try Country Mills Eagles which also includes music, cheerleading, volleyball, etc. and is open to both kids and adults. Visit www.cmeagles.org. Some of the YMCA’s, such as Southern Saratoga County branch, offer kids running groups so check with your local YMCA for more information.

Whatever route you take, try several of these options as your children’s interest and ability level grows. And always remember that the most important thing is to have fun. Even if your kids eventually decide to focus on other sports, they will look back on their running days with pleasure and may return as they enter adulthood and have less of an opportunity for team play.

Laura Clark of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, snowshoer and cross-country skier, and is president of Saratoga Stryders. She is also a children and young adult’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

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