Seventy two kids, from kindergarten to eighth grade, signed up for a six-week session that started Sept. 21. The free run club takes place once a week on Sundays from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Lane Stadium in Oakwood.
“Each week alternates between practices and races,” said Jadyn Haywood, a Chaminade Julienne graduate who was named Atlantic 10 Conference Track Performer of the Year in the spring. “So for the practice, we’ll do like an obstacle course or hills or just do some fun games. And then for the race days, they’ll run the 50 meters, the 100 meters, 200 or even the 400.”
Kids can sign up for the sessions at Runyourcity.org/run-dayton. There are two more sessions on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26. There will be another session in the spring.
Grace Felts, a junior sprinter at Dayton who’s the co-president of the Dayton chapter, said new runners and experienced runners have signed up for Run Your City, which was founded in Charlottesville, Va., in 2018 and now has chapters on dozens of campuses across the country.
“We definitely have a mixed bag,” she said. “Some of the kids want to run a ton. Others of them are more interested in playing games and meeting new kids. But both of those things have a positive impact on them, especially because it’s an entirely cost-free program, and some of our kids are low-income. It’s just a good opportunity either way, if they’re really into running or not.”
How do the college athletes sell the newcomers on the sport?
“We really just try to cheer them on and try to make it positive,” Haywood said.
The college athletes benefit from the experience, too.
“We have long weeks, and it’s a long season,” Felts said. “We’re in season until the day that we’re out of school in May. This keeps us up with the joy of it because it’s easy to get tired. This is kind of rejuvenating for us.”
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