Over 2,200 Students Achieve Personal Running Goal

Kingston— Over 2,200 students, some as young as 5 years of age, have crossed the finish line after running the total distance of either a full marathon (42.2 kilometres) or a half marathon (21.1 kilometres). Students representing 15 schools from within the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board completed the final leg of their personal race this week at CaraCo Home Field, wrapping up another successful year of Marathon Club.

Marathon Club is an annual initiative that encourages physical activity among students. Participants joined the club in February and had been keeping record of their running distance and progress, each week becoming physically active and getting closer to achieving their personal running goal. Lara Paterson, Physical Activity Specialist with KFL&A Public Health and Limestone District School Board said that Marathon Club is a great opportunity for students to have fun while being physically active, and that encouraging physical activity at an early age is key to being active later in life. “Encouraging children to set activity goals when they are young will help them to establish a life-long habit of being active,” she said.

According to the 2018 Participation Report Card on physical activity for children and youth, only 35 percent of Canadian children aged 5 to 17 years meet the daily recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity. “One of the things that I love about Marathon Club is that it not only helps children strive to be physically active every day at an early age, but it also teaches them about setting and accomplishing goals. At the end of the race, the students are excited and proud to have crossed the finish line and that is such a rewarding feeling.”

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