Join Me at Gener8tion Run

I hate running, I really do. Seriously, nobody hates running as much as I do. When I was in middle school, our gym teacher would make us run laps twice a week around the soccer field. That was pretty much the worst part of the week for me. Midway though the first lap, sides aching, I would slow down till I was far behind the others. Sometimes they would all finish ahead of me and I would have to half-run, half-walk all by myself while the gym teacher waited for me to finish. It was humiliating and awful and it kept me away from running for the longest time.

But now, I’m giving it another chance – thanks to the encouragement of friends like PhillyChitChat and the Philly Blogger Joggers. But the biggest motivating factor for me was Students Run Philly Style, the only program in Philadelphia that offers marathon training to Philadelphia youth. I often find myself writing about Students Run Philly Style at my day job and the stories of the students involved never fail to amaze me. Like this one, about Anthony.

“When 17-year old Anthony Alston told his aunt and guardian, Angela Chisholm, that he wanted to run alongside his Germantown High School classmates as part of the Students Run Philly Style program, she was skeptical. At 301 pounds, Anthony spent most of his free time playing Nintendo and watching TV. “I though it was just a phase,” recalls Chisholm, “but he really did fool me-he stuck with it and I am really proud of him.” Now, almost six months later and 29 pounds lighter, Anthony is set to run the ING Philadelphia Distance Run on September 21, a half-marathon of 13.1 miles spanning center city Philadelphia.”

Or this one, about Shanya.

“A group of teens have trained for nine months to run the Philadelphia Marathon, a program that has changed their lives in many other ways. About a year ago, some friends of 16-year-old Shanya Price of West Philadelphia asked her to join a running organization for kids, Students Run Philly Style. At first, she was like, ‘No Way!’ But then she tried it when she was reminded that she was overweight and her family suffers from diabetes and heart disease.”

And Athony and Shanya aren’t the exceptions – I’ve heard half-a-dozen stories like theirs from other students in Students Run Philly Style. Here’s the kicker, most of the kids in Students Run Philly Style aren’t athletes to begin with. These aren’t jocks we’re talking about – they’re generally overweight, out-of-shape kids who’ve never ran a day in their life. Like me. But enrollment in this program has drastically changed their life for the better. Given that half of Philadelphia’s children are obese - that’s no small feat.

So when I heard about Gener8tion Run, an 8K race meant to raise funds for Students Run Philly Style, I thought to myself, if these high school kids can run for a marathon, surely I can find the motivation to start running. Even if that motivation is Students Run Philly Style.

So whether you’re looking for a new race to run, or trying to fulfill your New Year’s resolution – join me at Gener8tion Run. Do it for the kids.