The mini-marathon requires runners to complete 25 miles by Saturday, then to run or walk the last 1.2 miles of the Missoula Marathon, untimed, on race day.
Kids Marathon director Sidney Hahn said the program encourages families to stay fit and healthy while enjoying the Missoula outdoors together.
Hahn, who also teaches kindergarten at Cold Springs Elementary, said one of the major initiatives of the program is to get people involved and excited about the running community in Missoula.
“I think if parents are doing it, it's great for them to show their kids,” she said.
Participants began registering for the Kids Marathon on April 1 and have been running, walking, hiking, playing soccer and other activities to log their miles over the past few months.
“A lot of kids discover that 25 miles happens very fast,” Hahn said.
She expects about 100 runners between the ages of 5 and 13 to show up at McCormick Park on Sunday, although last year's count was double that.
As of July 3, only 92 kids had registered online through Active.com.
Missoula Marathon race director Jennifer Straughan said she isn't sure why the number is lower this year.
“We're still learning because it's only the second year of everything,” she said. “This year, we approached it a little differently.”
Hahn said the only difference in the course this year is that the finish line for the marathon moved from the Orange Street Bridge to the Higgins Avenue Bridge.
“When it's over and we get to the end, we'll think about it,” Straughan said. “I think if you can have a regular program people are aware of over a period of time, they will rely on it.”
Straughan, a former Girl Scout Troop leader, recruited Hahn and co-directors Wendy Melvin and Kathy Devlin to help organize the Kids Marathon last year.
“The people who participated absolutely loved it,” she said. “I really was thinking kids would get started and they wouldn't finish. But they did it.”
Vicki Staso's four kids were among those to cross the finish line at the debut race.
Her children liked the idea that their physical education activities at school counted toward marathon miles, she said.
Staso is a member of the Missoula Kids Marathon committee and also a health enhancement teacher at Russell Elementary School. This year, her 8-year-old son Brian will be running the last 1.2 miles and her husband Paul, an ultramarathon runner, will be handing out medals at the finish line.
Staso said having the family involved sets a good example about the importance of fitness.
Whatever the kids can find to do that lasts them a lifetime - whether it's running, biking or swimming - it's worth doing, she said.
Brian has been doing everything from running back and forth playing in his backyard to taking advantage of the running program at his school to log the required 25 miles before Saturday.
Staso said kids who have not been logging miles but would still like to run or walk the last 1.2 miles of the marathon may do so, but she encourages full participation next year.
“The hope is the kids have been running and are honest about it,” she said, and added that the committee has addressed whether or not they should allow runners to participate if they have not been logging their miles all along.
She said it's tough to monitor because some kids simply forget their log sheets on race day.
“Policing that is a ridiculous thing to do,” Staso said. “Hey, if they run 1.2 miles, that's more than they would have done.”
Straughan said families should be aware that anyone can walk or jog the last 1.2 miles without having to register.
Whatever kids choose to do, root beer floats and a sense of accomplishment will greet marathon finishers at the Caras Park Pavilion on race day.
“It's fun to see all these little glowing faces,” Hahn said. “It's really powerful to see active, healthy kids.”
Elizabeth Harrison is a newsroom intern for the Missoulian. She is a journalism student at the University of Montana.
Kids on the run
For more information about the Missoula Kids Marathon, visit www.missoulamarathon.org, or drop by the Runner's Edge at 325 N. Higgins Ave.
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