We just finished our sixth week of Run SMART Kids practices at NEST+m, a public school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We’re proud to report that our 4th grade group, made up of boys and girls, has logged 278 miles so far! We also had our second 1-mile time trial to track their fitness improvements. On average, the kids improved their time by 34.57 seconds in just five weeks!
What was most striking was the effort put forth by every student. These are 4th graders and they were out there focused to beat their previous personal best. It was amazing to watch. Our fastest student ran 6:45 which is the fastest we’ve ever seen for a 4th grader since we launched the program three years ago. What was more impressive was his effort and determination and how he pushed through the toughest part of the run.
We see it every week – kids love to run! We just have to give them more opportunities and create a fun environment for them to do so.