Healthy Kids Running Series zooming
BLOOMSBURG — Sean Anthony and Ansley Burnett couldn't bear the idea of the Healthy Kids Running Series' Bloomsburg branch shutting down.
Instead of sitting back and risking that happening, the two took over from the previous regime and aimed to make strides in helping the program grow.
In the two years since, Anthony, who has two kids of his own in the program, has come to love the family atmosphere it creates even more than he did beforehand.
"It isn't just about the kids running the races," he said. "It's about their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who all come out in support. ... You sometimes even get parents running with the kids or picking them up in support and running with them. It really makes for a fun day — both for the kids and the parents."
Anthony says nearly 200 kids are signed up for this spring season, more than he and Burnett have worked with in any of their four prior seasons — both spring and fall. Most of those numbers will come from the Pre-K classes (2-3 years old and 4-5 years old), but the organization offers six classes through the eighth grade. Races range from a 50-yard dash to a 1-mile run, depending on the kids' age.
"The nice thing is they can sign up for one race and see what it's all about," Anthony said. "Some may look at the idea of running five straight Sundays as a bad one, but we like to make it as much fun as we can for the kids and their families."
Anthony hopes to sell that marketing to an untapped market: middle school kids. He hopes to sell them on the idea that it's profitable — you only need a pair of shoes — and keeps them in shape. He hopes there is far more interest in that age range than they've seen.
Anthony's plan of attack is to talk to local school districts, especially cross country coaches, to see if he can get the number to grow from six kids.
"The group was small, but they showed up every week and always ran with a big smile on their face," Anthony said. "It was always fun to see, but I'd love to get some more kids out there doing the mile with them."
Though they race at Streater Field in Bloomsburg, kids from all over can run with the Bloomsburg branch. It doesn't have anybody in it, but it has a challenger unit where disabled kids from 2 years old to eighth grade can run a 75-yard dash.
There are no practices, just five scheduled races for the season, making it as little commitment as possible from the runners.
Anthony also says they'll always welcome volunteers. Bloomsburg University sent over 20 health science students to demonstrate proper stretching and conduct warm-up exercises. Others will ensure runners stay on course and help with setup and teardown.
"This whole thing not only gets kids moving and more active, but it brings families together," Anthony said. "It brings the community together with the University being involved and others helping ensure it goes smoothly every week and everybody is having fun. It really is unique."
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