Houston—For the third year, fifteen thousand of Houston area K-5th grade school children and parents start running and walking 26.2 miles over the next six months. They join with their parents after school and/or run at school. Coloring in their incremental running logs in ¼ to ½ mile segments, they also color in each day they eat 5-a-day fruits and veggies. Besides running/walking 26.2 miles, Houston Marathon Kids eat 26.2 days a month of 5-a-day fruits and veggies, to fuel their 26.2 miles of running over six months!
This Saturday, October 20, at 10 a.m. sharp, almost five thousand of the total fifteen thousand registered will be at Rice University’s Track & Field Stadium, they gather in a glorious “ceremonial”, free Kick Off Celebration. They begin what seems at first an insurmountable project: Houston Marathon Kids.
All children can be Marathon Kids: fast/slow, rich/poor, overweight/slender, blind/sighted, able/disabled.
In its third year in Houston, the nationally acclaimed, free Marathon Kids® running/walking and nutrition program expects 5,000 of the 20,000+ registered Los Angeles children to run on Oct 20 at 10 a.m. sharp at Rice Track & Field Stadium for their ceremonial first mile. Districts invited to participate in the free program are Houston ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Clear Creek ISD, private schools and homeschoolers.
The stadium is graciously donated by Rice Athletics. Rice Athletes will run with the children and sign autographs.
K-5th graders either shyly or boldly raise their hand in class and say "Yes! I think I can run/walk 26.2 miles over the next six months! And, yes, I will commit to running 1/4 to 1/2 mile either at school or with my parents!" The net is thrown wide. All children can be Marathon Kids: fast/slow, overweight/slender, rich/poor, sighted/blind, able/disabled, deaf/hearing. Parents join in with the children, as the children work hard through classroom teacher offering and/or at home, coloring in their incremental miles and learning to make healthy food choices.
The free Marathon Kids six month program is presented in the Houston area to public and private school districts, homeschools, private schools, by Whole Foods Market. Major supporting sponsor is Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas and Subway. These corporate sponsors along with foundations help keep the six month program free for all level income K-5th graders.
Classroom teachers and elementary Physical Educators are a critical conduit for Houston Marathon Kids six month curriculum, encouraging a lifetime of physical activity and health for children. These teachers integrate the program as a key element in their ongoing goal setting, activity and nutrition work, set by Marathon Kids and their own Standards for Physical Education. It is the fervent goal of Marathon Kids to build habits over the six months not only of a lifetime of physical activity but also to nurture promotion of more Physical Education for all children in the USA.
Marathon Kids® is an eleven year old non-profit. Birthed as a grassroots initiative, it is now in Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Rio Grande Valley and Baltimore. Chicago Marathon Kids launches in 08-09. There are over 123,000 K-5th graders now doing the nationally recognized, free Marathon Kids program. Marathon Kids target market are those children most vulnerable to childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes: African American and Hispanic children. There are 294 towns and cities on the Marathon Kids waiting list, as well as 14 foreign countries.
Community runners, Physical Educators, Classroom Teachers, local HARRA and United Space Alliance fitness enthusiasts, Whole Foods Market Team Members, community volunteers, Rice Athletes, Subway and KPRC Volunteers all make the free Kick Off Celebration event a an unforgettable experience for the little children.
At the free Kick Off Celebration on Saturday, Rice athletes will run with the “Flag Lap Marathon Kids” in the ceremonial flag lap.
Participating in the opening, ceremonial flag lap with children from Durham Elementary in Houston ISD will be:
- Jose Santiago, Houston ISD Physical Education Coordinator for Elementary Schools
- Candyce Speidel, Whole Foods Market, Houston Community Relations
- Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas Community Relations John Solomon
- Subway Representatives Brij Agrawal and Govind Agrawal
- Rebecca Fuchs, Spring Branch ISD Health & Wellness Coordinator
- Debbie Fuchs, Clear Creek ISD Health & Wellness Coordinator
- Representative from Fort Bend ISD Physical Education
- Jeffrey Ross, MD, Co-Chairman, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness
- William Baun, new Chairman of Houston Mayor White’s Wellness Council
- Rice University Representative
As all the children cross under the bright colored balloon arch at the Kick Off Celebration Finish Line, after running in “rounds”, they will be given their EARNED free Reward Water Bottles, Reward Bumper Stickers. During the six month program, all incentives must be EARNED. Later in April spring school assemblies, they will receive their Marathon Kids Finisher T-shirts.
Families with questions about Marathon Kids should visit http://www.MarathonKids.org or ask their classroom teacher, Physical Educator or Principal about participation. Other questions can go to Kay@MarathonKids.org
Marathon Kids® was featured in Runners World Magazine as one of 2005’s Ten Inspirational Heroes of Running. It has been featured by Dr. Sanjay Gupta in CNN’s “Fit Nation”. It has also been showcased in The Weekly Reader, Scholastic News, USA Today, Nurses Digest, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Austin American Statesman, Her Sport Magazine., Prevention Magazine etc. The free Los Angeles Marathon Kids program received the national Saucony “Run for Good” Award, as well as a grant from the Mattel Children’s Foundation. The LA program also has an upcoming feature in Nick Jr Magazine.
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..a global collaboration of families running/walking and making healthy food choices
Our Mission: Marathon Kids® is a free, endurance building running/walking/nutrition and gardening program for K-5th graders. We build joyful community around children and are quickly accepted into public, private and home schools as a free, innovative celebratory fitness program, resonating with the child…and with the child’s family. The child develops the love and habit of moving through space and carries forward the power of muscular, nutritional and psychological well being.
Volunteer? Chauncey@MarathonKids.org or Chris@MarathonKids.org
Media? Kay@MarathonKids.org
Contributions to keep six month program free? www.MarathonKids.org Thank you!
www.MarathonKids.org
www.WholeFoodsMarket.com
www.bcbstx.com (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas)
http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/
www.kprc.com
http://riceowls.cstv.com/ (Rice Athletics)
www.GetMovingHouston.com
