Marathon Kids - About Us : Testimonials

Marathon Kids : About : Testimonials

Marathon Kids is grateful to have true believers that work tirelessly to help us achieve our mission. Teachers, parents, volunteers, sponsors, fundraisers, and donors all work together to turn the dream into a reality. The following quotes are just a few of the testimonials that help tell our story.

First, I want to say what a wonderful experience Marathon Kids has been for my students. 13 out of my 19 students went to the Final Mile Celebration and they are so proud of their huge accomplishment!: Los Angeles Marathon Kids Teacher

I truly cannot think of a better cause. Being a runner for 36 years has brought me so many friends and so much joy. What you do will have a profound impact on people that you cannot begin to imagine. Thanks for all you do.: John Conley

Executive Director, AT&T Austin Marathon & Austin Marathon Foundation

It's a great organization --- they are doing amazing things for kids (and teachers)! It's wonderful to be part of something so powerful. And, the fact that our corporate support allows this program to be free is such a great contribution to public school kids and their overworked teachers :-) I would highly recommend it!: Marci Frumkin

Whole Foods Market
Southern Pacific Region

My children will be very excited to receive their Finisher Medals. To see that hard work pays off is priceless and a lesson that we try to live in our household. Who knows, maybe sometime in the near future we will get a chance to participate in Raleigh. Once I get settled in, I wouldn't mind receiving info on getting an event started in the area. My sincere thanks again to you and the Marathon Kids team. Regards,: Monica P.

Houston Marathon Kids Parent

We all applaud you and your team for the tremendous inspiration and results you are spreading to fight childhood diabetes and teach healthy habits to young people across our country! Thank you for providing a leading organization we could support in this effort!: Jane Svehlak

Race with Purpose

To go around the Richardson ISD district and see so many students participating in Marathon Kids is wonderful! I see bulletin boards, tennis shoes circling the gym with miles run, charts, rewards...all kinds of motivational techniques to get the kids involved in your wonderful, FREE program. I have already written the Sept. 20th Kickoff date on my calendar. Looking forward to it!  Sincerely, : Rick Urbanczyk

Director of Physical Education & Health
Richardson Independent School District

I just wanted to thank all of you so much for the marathon event. My little boy just loved it. He has wanted a "real" medal for so long. He won't take it off or let anyone touch it. He is so proud. He was very interested in eating healthy and wanting to go to Whole Foods now. Please send along our thanks to Whole Foods and tell them they have a new customer. Sincerely,: Lisa N

Marathon Kids Parent

I wanted to thank YOU for allowing my students to participate in a GREAT program! My 1st grade students started off slow and reluctantly. I had to really encourage them and motivate them to run at first. Four laps around our track is a quarter of a mile and at first not a single one of them could run ONE lap without stopping. Needless to say, my first goal for them was to run one lap non-stop and they would walk the rest of the way. They accomplished this and we gradually worked up to running 4 laps non-stop. One by one, (almost all of) my students accomplished this goal! I kept telling them they better run or no t-shirt! I think the idea of a t-shirt for those who complete the program helped! So the next challenge was that I would time them to see how long it took them to run a quarter of a mile. Most students are now able to run the quarter of a mile in between 2.5 minutes and 3.5 minutes. Many run extra laps and at home too. A few run with their moms! I realized how my students had built their endurance when one day a fellow teacher watched my class run and had her class run too. My class was able to run and finish the four laps long before hers. Her class was huffing and puffing and took much longer to finish the 4 laps. About eating fruits and vegetables... I am also the lead teacher for the Nutrition Network at our school. This program is great for encouraging and keeping track of fruits and vegetables eaten by students. It is easy and takes little time. My students did not/do not eat as many fruits and vegetables as they should... But by coloring in the fruits and vegetables it made them aware of how much they eat and how many they NEED to eat. I believe they are taking these ideas home and are building lifelong healthier habits! I so look forward to participating in Marathon Kids next year! THANK YOU!: Sandra K

Los Angeles Marathon Kids Teacher

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!!!!! I am so glad you have brought this program to Houston, our kids are so excited about it!!! They loved today, all of them could not stop talking about it. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to do this and I think this is going to be one of the highlights of their year....until the Final Mile!!!!: Kori C.

Houston Marathon Kids Teacher

One of my fave's is when a little 1st grade girl from Oak Hill came up to me. She was holding her medal up to her check and had a huge grin. "I've been waiting my whole life for this!" she giggled to me. Priceless.: Fran Rush, MEd, Lecturer

The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Kinesiology and Health Education

My kids have been running like crazy. They ask me all the time when the shirts will arrive. I tell them, but they still ask. We had a great time at the kick-off as well as the finale event. Looking forward to participating next year as well.: Darlene Evans

Houston Marathon Kids Teacher

I can’t commend you enough on the incredible work you are doing with Marathon Kids. It is truly extraordinary and will result in healthier behavior by hundreds of thousands of kids and adults over many years to come (maybe millions)! I am thrilled that you have brought the program to Houston and that our Get Moving Houston team can help you grow this. I promise you that I will use all of my influence to keep the momentum going in Houston for this program and assist in getting the school districts to embrace it as well. Regards,: Herb Lipsman

Former Chairman of The Houston Mayor's Wellness Council
President & CEO, The Health Club Company

My oldest child is autistic. This was his fifth grade year, and his last as a Marathon Kid. He has participated every year since the public school he was in offered the program to him. He has trouble with his gait, running, his trunk stability and control, and his feet. This year at the final mile he ran so well he passed a lot of other kids and you could not tell he was any different from any of the other kids. He deserves his T-shirt.: Carla S.

Marathon Kids Parent

I wanted to e-mail you and tell you about the positive impact that Marathon Kids has had in my son, Zackary's, life. He participated today in the Final Mile celebration in Baltimore. This was a very special day that touched our group in a special way. My son attends a school for special needs children. He is autistic and has a difficult time participating in a group. Needless to say, he is not physically active. He eats well but is on a lot of medications that cause weight gain. Today, we got to witness our son and his classmates taking pride in their goal to run the last mile. Despite all the potential sensory detterants our children completed the last mile. I know this brought tears to my eyes as well as his teachers. Thank You,: Michelle R.

Baltimore Marathon Kids Parent

At Sandy Plains, we developed Marathon Kids into an after school club. I thought it would be fun and motivating for the students to complete their miles together. Once a week after school, 122 children ages 6-12 would get together and run 1½ miles around the school grounds. They would check in with a teacher at a different location point depending upon their grade level. After completing each mile, the children received a “runner” to add to their necklace. So after attending the medal celebration at Towson, we gave the final runner to our kids. The necklaces worked as a great motivator and all of the children wore them every day to school. Thanks again for such as inspiring and motivational program. Sandy Plains will definitely be on board next year to complete 26.2 miles as a group. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you for your time.: Rachael Grob

Sandy Plains Elementary
Baltimore Marathon Kids Teacher

I want to share what one of my parents said to me Saturday. I thanked her for bringing her kindergarten son to the Kick-off Celebration. She replied, "He brought me!" That's what educating children is all about: teach the children to be physically active and to eat healthy so they can train their parents. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Saturday was the best!: Janice

Austin Marathon Kids Teacher

My students have become more motivated to walk or run for fitness. I have parents telling me how they are walking with their children or running with them. We even have girls participating in a 5k marathon in June. Parents and students are very excited and eager to participate in the Final Mile celebration. This program has been a huge success at our school this year. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to participate in this program.: Ms. Moiche Crawford

Chicago Marathon Kids Teacher

Letter to Austin Mayor Will Wynn: Mayor Wynn, Congratulations on running the Austin Marathon! Thank you so much for your support for Marathon Kids. I have been involved with this marvelous program since its inception 10 years ago. I have been teaching physical education for 33 years and this is one of the best programs for not only getting children started in establishing healthy life time habits but also in getting parents involved with their kids. I have the privilege of going with Kay Morris to all the other cities who are now using the Marathon Kids program. Thank you again for your support and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, February 24 at the Burger Center for Austin's Final Mile Celebration.: Carolyn Dyer

Austin Marathon Kids Teacher

…By the way, our school is in LOVE with MK. The teachers came around (although it meant a little bit more work on their part) and our elementary school heads were out there this morning encouraging the kids. I got a great email from them saying how wonderful the program is. I'm so excited it took so easily!: Molly R.

Dallas Marathon Kids Teacher

We even have a Neighborhood dog (labrador), named "PEARL' who comes weekly, sometimes 2-3 times a week, and runs with the kids. Mostly, she likes to play frisbee and soccer with them as they are running our field. She finished her Marathon Kids sheet recently - she was great motivation because I posted her sheet up in the gym and they all tried to keep up with her and watched as her circles were colored in. We even had her wear a pedometer for a while.: Dallas Marathon Kids Teacher

You don't hear this often enough, but THANK YOU for having such a BIG HEART for children and their well-being. Saturday was GREAT! I am so blessed to be a part of Marathon Kids! I want to let you know that I saw the folks coming in and leaving...and they had nothing but compliments! As they came in, the kids were excited, and the adults couldn't believe the welcome, the colors, the electricity in the air!!! On their way out, they told me that they could not believe how well run this event was, and asked "How on Earth we did it"...I just smiled: Candy Parker, Mesquite ISD

Dallas Marathon Kids Teacher

Written in RunOn! Newsletter: I have a 6 year old and an 8 year old who are excited to participate in the Marathon Kids program at their school this year. I think this is a great program, as it encourages movement and healthy eating. They came home with a chart in which they are to color in every quarter mile that they run/walk, as well as how many fruits and vegetables they eat each day. It even got my son to eat his veggies without whining! (Well, with LESS whining), and we are all getting outside each evening after dinner, which means less screen time for them, and a nice recovery walk for me. I think that most of you probably have some way of keeping track of how many miles you run each week, but it also might be helpful to keep track of some other things that will help you to improve as a runner. How many fruits and vegetables have you had today? How much water have you had to drink? How much sleep did you get last night? Did you take your vitamins? A consistent pattern may show you why your running has been either great, or less than stellar. Oh yeah, if my kids run/walk 26.2 miles over the course of the year, they get a great big medal, just like you will at the end of your race! Keep your eye on the prize.: Jennifer

Run On!

Hey Kay I am so happy that you are expanding this program around the country. I think it is one of if not the most effective community driven exercise program in the country. It has been both a pleasure and an honor to be associated with it and it’s creator you. Thank you so much for all that you do to help young people get fit for life.: Bev Kearney

University of Texas Women's Track and Field Coach

Despite a calf injury and a cold, I was determined to support Marathon Kids with my own marathon run. Marathon Kids is the most impressive and effective children's fitness and nutrition program in the country. We're really lucky to have it here in Austin.: Will Wynn

Former Austin Mayor

I am kindergartner mom. I just wanted to take the time to let you know that originally the Marathon Kids program was to promote healthy consciousness for children, but I think that I'm the one that benefitted more than my daughter. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that she's a very active and energetic young child. Even her gymnastics hasn't slowed her activity level down. After the 1st marathon run, she had so much energy that she asked to do a second run...(Thank goodness they didn't let us...I could barely walk to the finish line...she was very encouraging to me...and slowed her pace to finish the track with me, but I was amazed at my little 'sprinter'). That was both a high point and low point for me. I was embarrassed tthat I couldn't keep up the pace with my kindergartner. Since then I've been on a mission and bought us a pedometer and strived to walk every chance I get. The time I spent walking with my daughter and our time together has made her happy and I think that it has helped her in school as well. I know that she has improved with her listening/behavior in class as well. We've come a long way since the 1st week of school took some adjustment for her. Through our entire "journey" I have so far lost 11 pounds. It may not seem much, but I have more energy now. It has also helped us get up earlier and get to school on time!...... I love the fact that I have been able to park and walk her to the front building "kindergarten" side door and not rush thru the car pool lane and have her mad dash to class. I know that my daughter is really looking forward to completing her marathon and getting her "gold" medal. Thanks,: Dallas Marathon Kids Parent

Thank you so much for all the work you do with Marathon Kids Dallas. This is my schools second year to participate and we absolutely love it. You have no idea how much the kids enjoy not only the program, but also the opening and final mile ceremonies. My school, Forestridge Elementary (RISD), filled three busses to take to the final mile this year. Thanks for all your time and dedication; you are making a huge difference in the health of many boys and girls.: Heidi R.

Dallas Marathon Kids Teacher

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