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MySpaceLARGEST EVER ROTARY FUN RUN
Last Friday night at Mt. Carmel High School Stadium, 763 Third through Eighth graders participated in the 19th Annual San Diego North Rotary Club Fun Run. Ten middle schools and fourteen elementary schools participated in the run, making it the biggest turn out for the annual cross country meet since its inception in 1988. The turn out of elementary students was truly amazing. Almost 200 runners competed in each of the Third through FifthGrade races. "It's unbelievable to see so many young runnersparticipating," exclaimed Bryan Gust, a member of the San Diego North Rotary Club. "The parents seem just as excited as the runners" he said.
The evening had an auspicious beginning. As the Rotarians began setting up for the races the Mt. Carmel High School band arrived to practice. The Rotarians took down the finish line and scoring tables they had just set up to let the band practice on the football field. The band helped with the obvious double-booking problem and "raced" through their routines so that the first race of Third Grade boys could get off on schedule. The high school custodians helped out later in the day by turning on the stadium lights as darkness fell early because of last week's time change.
It was a perfect day for the run, cloudy and cool with a full moon rising over the field as it drew dark. The stadium lights were turned on so the races could safely finish. "It actually added to the whole atmosphere of the run," added Meet Director Phil Warren, a middle school teacher who has coordinated the run since its beginning.
Every year the Rotary club provides each participant with a participation ribbon and the opportunity for some fun competition between schools and individual runners. "Everyone seems to enjoy the event and hopefully they all walk away with a real positive feeling about running and physicalfitness" said Rotary Club President Eric Pahlke. "After all, that's why we call it a Fun Run" he said.
If you were wondering why the lights were on at Mt. Carmel Stadium last Friday night it was all about almost 800 youngsters and their families and friends having fun running.