Ben Furtado/Auburn Journal Fifth-grader Santina Barone, right, crosses the finish line just ahead of fourth-grader Gabriel McDill during Running School Olympics at Rock Creek Elementary School Tuesday.
Ben Furtado/Auburn Journal Brad Kearns, president and executive director of Running School, keeps time as Rock Creek Elementary students complete a half-mile run.
Brad Kearns wants kids to think running is cool.
What did he do about it?
He started Running School, an on-campus cardiovascular fitness program for local schools aimed at showing kids that running is an enjoyable, healthy activity.
"The goal of it all is to race, compete - the kid who wins gets that great feeling," Kearns said. "The other goal is, because it's a foot race, everybody can have a personal challenge. Here, every single kid is in their own race and can have their personal sense of satisfaction ... we want them to appreciate the simplest, most fun sport."
Running School took over the playground and field at Rock Creek Elementary School Tuesday morning as students ran a half-mile course and competed against their classmates in the 40-yard dash.
"We ran all the way around the school really fast," said first-grader Daisy Aviles.
Students learned stretching techniques and got a mini-tutorial in the art of pacing themselves.
"We get a lot of exercise and it makes you faster and it was good because we learned stretches," said fourth-grader Luis Burrola.
Luis and his buddies sat in the shade after completing the half-mile run.
"I think that I did pretty good," said Juan Medrano.
The fourth-grader said he liked the idea behind Running School.
"I think that it's good because it gets people out from sitting inside," Juan said.
Classmate Alexis Clark said she had fun during the Running School activities, of which she understood the importance.
"When they grow up they can be more active and not sit on the couch and play video games," she said. "It's fun but you have to give yourself a challenge."
Kearns said he hopes Running School redirects the notion that running is a tedious task, and that it promotes some healthy competition for the students.
"I think part of it is, they haven't been conditioned to compete," he said. "I think it's great to have competition. It's great to have a winner and celebrate the winner. Everyone at the same time can have a personal best." Tom Rae got a kick out of watching his fourth-grade students compete in the 40-meter dash.
Rae said he appreciates that Running School is a homegrown way to motivate kids to be active.
"All the research says that active kids are better learners, so I think this benefits us, it gets kids motivated about coming to school, because sometimes math isn't enough," he said.
Rae also appreciates that Kearns and crew will return to Rock Creek - the program's centerpiece is the twice-per-semester Running School Olympics, complemented by twice-per-semester Running School festivals.
Students can chart their progress because Running School keeps track of their race times, so students can feel like "this is where I started, I set a goal and I improved," Rae said.
Like Kearns, Rae believes competition - in the right form - is good for students.
"His approach to competition is healthy, it's inclusive, not exclusive," Rae said of Kearns. "I like his idea of competition, it's enough to be healthy without stigmatizing kids who don't come in first."
First-grader Arianna Aponte seemed to like the competition element of Running School, among others.
"You get to win and it's lots of fun and it gives you a big warm-up and you get to get healthy," she said.
Third-grader Alison Allen appeared barely winded after racing in the 40-yard dash.
"It gives you energy and it makes you run faster so you can be in a contest," Alison said.
Fifth-grader Santina Barone ran cross-country last year, so she understands the benefits of the sport.
She hopes her classmates pick up on something she already knows about.
"It keeps you active and it's really just a fun sport," she said.
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