Running for a reason
Mar. 16—As part of a larger nationwide program dedicated to cultivating active youth, Mt. Juliet’s Healthy Kids Running series is granting Wilson County kids the chance to spend time outdoors with friends while exercising.
On Sunday, Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet was flooded with kids of all ages, parents and spectators who came out to watch some races and cheer on their little ones.
John Burns from Hermitage was there. Burn’s 3-year-old granddaughter Mila Wardenaar was running in the first heat. For that age group the track is only 50 yards. Cheering parents lined the ropes that designate the track and cheered their children on as the race began.
Burns said Mila had a tough year, like a lot of kids her age. “We’ve had a year of seclusion and she hasn’t got to spend a lot of time around friends.”
For a lot of parents it wasn’t just about catching up on lost time with friends, it was about doing it safely. Greg Ackerman of Old Hickory said his daughter Ivahgray, 6, really enjoys competing in these races. “She’s been doing it for six series now,” he said.
But this year was different. COVID disrupted everything and placed activities like these at a premium. “She’s been in school when allowed, but it’s nice getting back with a group of people outside where it’s not as worrisome,” Ackerman said.
Not everyone is a seasoned veteran at the races. Julie Bandy lives in Mt. Juliet. Her daughter, Austyn was “super excited,” about the event.
“This was the first time we heard about it, but as soon as we did, Austyn knew she wanted to compete,” Bandy said.
Mt. Juliet’s Healthy Kids Running Community Coordinator Gennie Maxwell said that each race is timed so that not only can the runners compete against each other, they can also see if they’ve improved over the year.
This year marks the fifth that Mt. Juliet has held this series. The semi-annual event starts in the spring and runs for an entire month, with timed heats each weekend. It then picks back up in the fall with five more weekend races.
Maxwell helped kick start the event five years ago as a way to include her son Jake in competitive arenas. Jake is on the spectrum. He’d played everything from basketball to piano and hadn’t found a niche according to Maxwell. However, Jake did enjoy attending the 5K races his mother would run. So Maxwell, took that idea and ran with it. She found out about the Healthy Kids running series and thought, “Mt. Juliet could use one of those.”
Maxwell admits that when she started the event she never expected it to get as popular as it has become. “The first year we started with less than 50 runners. This time we had 170 participants.”
Running groups are based on age starting with the 2-3 year old group progressing through to eighth graders.
Participants competing in these groups do so on different length tracks. The youngest group starts on a track that is 50 yards long. As for the oldest group, its track extends to an entire mile. There is also a ‘Challenger Race’ for children with special needs. This was one area Maxwell emphasized because of its close personal connection with her own family.
Maxwell does take the lead, but she doesn’t do it alone. Emily Bock, an event volunteer, said this event happens rain or shine, although they would cancel if it began lightning. “One year we had an absolute downpour. The kids ran in the rain and loved it.”
After the five-part series concludes, awards are given out based on times and finishes. But not all the awards are objectively competitive. One award recognizes effort and work ethic. Bock said, “The ‘Healthy Kid’ award goes to the kid who came out here every time, always put their best foot forward and had heart every week.”
As the size of the event grew, sponsorships became increasingly important. According to Maxwell, “We couldn’t have done this without our sponsors.”
One such sponsor was the US Community Credit Union. Molly Hissong is a business development specialist for the credit union. She was on site Sunday overseeing a prize raffle.
For Hissong, this was her first event in 2021. “This is the first event we’ve been able to go to in a long time.”
While it was nice for Hissong to be able to attend a live gathering, the cause behind it was really what mattered most. “We couldn’t be happier to support young kids learning how to create a healthy lifestyle and enjoy this nice weather while interacting with our community.”
Another sponsor, Orange Theory Fitness sends out trainers to help the runners warm up. This time it was Michaela Canter, who led stretches prior to the races starting.
The nationwide Healthy Kids Running Series was created by Jeff Long to motivate kids to lead a healthy and active lifestyle through a positive introduction to the world of running. You can learn more about Mt. Juliet’s event at healthykidsrunningseries.org/race-locations/mount-juliet-tn.
