With the popularity of video games and social media, I think it may be more important now than ever to get kiddos involved in physical activities. The Young Athletes Foundation’s (YAF) Wednesday Night at the Races series encourages just that. Their website states “Helping at a young age to build a love of running, these races are also central to our mission of providing pathways and opportunities for our community’s children to live healthy and active lifestyles.”
The YAF is a charity arm of Grandma’s Marathon and has been around since 1990. Their goal is to assist with
development of youth active lifestyles. They have donated more than $1.3 million to community athletic programs. They also have a running shoe program that works to provide opportunities to high school runners by providing shoes to athletes in need.
Wednesday Night at the Races has had close to 1,500 kids (age 14 and under) participate in the past. The series this year is being held at six locations throughout the Twin Ports. This is the first time Two Harbors High School is hosting one of the events.
Registration is free and each child who runs “is a champion” states the YAF website. Kids will receive a ribbon and snacks at the end of the race. The distance each child runs is based on their age group, with the youngest running 1/8th of a mile, and the eldest running ½ mile.
This year’s event will occur on August 2nd at the Two Harbors High School. Registration can be completed online at yaf.grandmasmarthon.com up until 3:00 PM on the day of the event. On-site registration will begin at 5:00 PM. Races start at 6:00 PM.
Feel free to contact me at sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com with any news we should news about!
