More than 100 Princeton area students, from kindergartners to eighth graders, set out on Saturday to run a marathon. But none of the youths finished the 26.2 mile venture. Instead, they will be completing the race over the course of 10 weeks.
The students are participating in the Princeton HealthCare Kids Marathon, a fundraising effort for the pediatric clinic at University Medical Center at Princeton. On June 6, they will gather at Princeton Stadium to complete the final 1.2 miles together.
“We’re trying to raise consciousness of healthy lifestyles and fight childhood obesity,” event co-chair Amy Rabner said of the event’s goals. “Of course, we also hope that the kids have a lot of fun, too.”
The University is not associated with the event beyond providing a venue for the final leg of the race, Rabner said, though some students have served as program volunteers in the past.
More than 150 kids are currently registered to participate in the marathon, and Rabner said she hopes the number will continue to grow, noting that roughly 250 participants took part in the event in its inaugural year in 2009.
“We had a great first year,” said Rabner. “Everybody had a lot of fun and hopefully we can do it bigger and better this time around.”
During the individual portion of the marathon, participants run as many miles per day as they wish, with the eventual goal of recording 25 miles before June 6. Every two weeks, they are sent prizes and rewards to motivate them to continue running.
Currently in its second year, the Kids Marathon is one of the few kids’ marathons that is not affiliated with an adult race.
The idea for the event came when Jennifer Mimnaugh, also an event co-chair, participated in a marathon in Virginia Beach, Va., and found that her young daughter enjoyed participating in the associated kids race.
In addition to the physical fitness component of the marathon, participants are also encouraged to complete “Green Deeds” — small tasks that help to improve the quality of the environment, such as eating more local food and using compact fluorescent lamps.
Rabner emphasized that the event organizers try to treat participants like real marathoners. During the final, on-campus leg of the race, participants will run through a finish line and win medals.
While the event includes a fundraising element, raising money is not a participation requirement, Rabner said, noting that the event’s primary focus is physical fitness. But, participants are asked to obtain 10 sponsors at the rate of $1 per mile.
“We’re really excited for every part of the marathon,” Rabner said. “We hope that the kids will have a lot of fun and develop some healthy habits along the way.”
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