Students from Robert E. Lee High School and Northeast Florida High School in Jacksonville are gearing up to run a half marathon in order to get fit and raise money for breast cancer, The Times-Union reports.
More than 45 high school students from Robert E. Lee and 120 students from Northeast Florida can be seen running in groups around Jacksonville after school as they train for their upcoming race on February 12. Both
schools have been paired with the nonprofit group Marathon High to help them train efficiently, the source reports.
According to the publication, Marathon High is a volunteer-based organization that works to provide students interested in running with a free, safe place to learn new techniques and other ways to get in shape. The group then helps kids train for races as they come up throughout the state of Florida.
Deborah Dunham, the group's director, said its motto, "You can do more than you think you can," is simple but important in order to raise
healthy kids.
Dunham added that the program gives kids a space to hang out and learn about fitness, something that they will hopefully take with them as they mature into young adults.
"It gives kids something healthy and positive to do rather than going home and sitting on the couch watching television or playing video games," Dunham told the news source. "They are not only becoming more active, but it's also building their self-esteem, self-confidence and academic performance."
When kids get to high school it's common that they either join a sports team or don't participate in any other activities. The publication reports that many times once kids go to high school there aren't as many designated after school options for them like there are in elementary and middle school.
Marathon High hopes to curb this problem as the activity is meant to be fun and is noncompetitive. Dunham said she sees kids come in with all abilities so there is no pressure to be perfect. Additionally, training for fundraisers like runs to support breast cancer can give the students even more motivation to stick with it.
"They can come out and do something good for them … and a lot of them are getting their families involved, too," she told the publication.
Kids need at least 60 minutes of daily activity to stay fit, according to recommendations from the Let's Move! initiative. Children who don't enjoy sports might benefit from walking neighborhood dogs or using
commercial playground equipment to break a sweat.