Texas Rio Grande Valley Marathon Kids!
Free Ceremonial Kick Off Celebration!
Six month, free running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007
10 a.m. sharp!
FREE!
Harlingen CISD Boggus Stadium
Presented by Valley Baptist Health Plans
The Moody Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Meadows Foundation
Harlingen, Texas--Thousands of little Texas Rio Grande Valley area K-5th grade school children and parents have been studying and signing their Marathon Kids® Commitment©, turning it back into their Physical Education and/or classroom teachers. On this Saturday, together in a free, glorious, ceremonial Kick Off, they will begin their first mile, with other Rio Grande Valley Texas families.
In its second year in the Rio Grande Valley, the nationally acclaimed, free Marathon Kids running/walking and nutrition program is expecting 4,000 registered Harlingen area Kindergartners through 5th graders to complete the six month, free project. Their glorious, community-wide, free KickOff Celebration is this Saturday, January 20, at 10 a.m. sharp at the Harlingen CISD Boggus Stadium. The stadium and parking is graciously donated by Harlingen CISD.
3,000 of the 4,000 registered Marathon Kids are expected at the ceremonial free Kick Off, this Saturday. Marathon Kids’ target market for their free, six month running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program is Hispanic and African American children and families, who are most vulnerable to sedentary lives and Type 2 diabetes.
This is the anticipated moment when 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 Physical Education classes and/or at home, coloring in their incremental miles and learning to make healthy food choices. The little children are ALSO offered “Marathon Kids 5-a-Day Food Gardens” on their campus, receiving a weather-proof, “Marathon Kids Schoolyard Garden” sign, once the schoolyard garden is started.
During the six months, the children run, eat healthy and incrementally color in:
Marathon Kids Running Log© They color in as they run at school and/or with their family in 1/4 to 1/2 mile increments over five months.
Marathon Kids Fuel Log© They color in the Marathon Kids Fuel Log when they eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day for 26.2 days of every month! A marathon of healthy eating!
Marathon Kids is presented in South Texas to three different public school districts, homeschools, private schools, by Valley Baptist Health Plans.
Physical Educators are a critical conduit for Marathon Kids 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. Harlingen CISD educators, Principals, community volunteers tireless run the stadium for the Kick Off and Final Mile Medal Celebrations. Volunteer Coordinator is Diana Garcia of the Texas Department of Health Services. Diana.garcia@dshs.state.tx.us
Marathon Kids® is a ten year old non-profit. Birthed in Austin as a grassroots initiative, it is now in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Rio Grande Valley and Los Angeles. There are 100,000+ 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. There are 294 towns and cities on the Marathon Kids waiting list, as well as 14 foreign countries.
Community runners, Harlingen CISD, Physical Educators and other fitness enthusiasts, Valley Baptist Health Plans volunteers, Harlingen Poice Department, join in to help the children at their KickOff Celebration this Saturday.
At the 10 a.m. Kick Off Celebration, selected VIPs will run with selected children in the ceremonial flag lap.
Also in the opening, ceremonial flag lap will be selected little elementary school representatives. Running with the children in the opening, ceremonial Flag Lap will be:
Marathon Kids will hand bouquets to each dignitary at the beginning of the ceremonial Flag Lap at 10 a.m.
As all the children cross the balloon-arched Kick Off Celebration Finish Line, after running in concentric circled “rounds”, they will be given their EARNED free Marathon Kids Reward Water Bottles. During the six month program, all incentives must be EARNED. The children will soon have their own Marathon Kids Water Bottle and their Marathon Kids Bumper Sticker. At the Final Mile Medal Celebration on May 12, 2007, the Marathon Kids will earn their Finisher Medals. Later in school assemblies, they will receive their Marathon Kids Finisher T-shirts.
Families with questions about Marathon Kids should visit http://www.MarathonKids.com/ or ask their school PE teacher about participation.
Marathon Kids® was featured in the Runners World Magazine as one of 2005’s Ten Inspirational Heroes of Running. It has been showcased in The Weekly Reader, Scholastic News, USA Today, Nurses Digest, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Austin American Statesman, etc. The free Los Angeles Marathon Kids program just received the national Saucony “Run for Good” Award.
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If you would like to help keep Marathon Kids free for all level income children, please consider going to https://www.marathonkids.com/site/mkdonation.php Thank you.
Our Mission: Marathon Kids® is a free, endurance building running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program for kindergartners through 5th graders. Our mission is to build joyful community around children and be 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 goal is for the child to develop the love and habit of moving through space and to carry forward the power of muscular, nutritional and psychological well being.
