WELS Kids Marathon Update #6

We are just a few days away from the final mile of the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. The committee is working feverishly getting the final details in order, picking up supplies, and making sure everything on track.

Final Mile Timeline

6:00PM - Packet Pickup begins. Please plan on arriving no later than 6:30PM as there will be a lot of others in line and we want to make sure the races begin on time.
6:30PM – Special Guest Appearance
6:40PM – Group Warm Up
6:55PM – National Anthem
7:00PM – Race Number 1 for kids grades 4 and under.
7:15PM – Race Number 2 for kids grades 5 and over.
7:30PM – Prize Drawings

Ultimate Challenge

For those of you who completed the Ultimate Challenge, congratulations! 52 miles and 52 books are very impressive! This year, we will have a small reward for each of you who completed the Ultimate Challenge. We will also have a special drawing for only those who completed the Ultimate Challenge. Please make sure you sign the Ultimate Challenge Sheet at Packet Pickup and fill out your special Ultimate Challenge Raffle Ticket. Good Luck!

Make It Happen

This year’s WELS Kids Marathon charitable contribution will be to the Jenny Crain Make it Happen Fund. In a special appearance, Jenny will be coming to our final event and meeting the kids. Please make her feel welcome. We will be making her an honorary WELS Kids Marathon Finisher. Please make sure you sign the banner we will have for Jenny. Also, please consider a personal donation to the Make It Happen Fund, we will have a jar set out if you wish to donate.

Prizes

In order to be eligible for a prize, you need to be present at the Final Mile. Once you receive your race number, make sure you detach the bottom of the number as this will be your prize drawing ticket. We will be giving prizes from:
The Milwaukee Bucks
The Green Bay Packers
The Athletes Foot in New Berlin
Performance Running & Fitness
Nike
Barnes & Noble
The Pettit National Ice Center

Media

If you have any connections to the any of the local media, we would love to invite them to cover our final event. Please make an invitation and let me know if any information is needed.

Directions

Please see the link toward the top right of the page for directions to the final event or Please Click Here.

Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help us at the final event. If you have volunteered, please plan on showing up no later than 6:00PM.

Thank you

I would like to personally thank everyone for joining the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. It is a real pleasure to share my love for running and reading with the future of America. Exercise for your body and your mind is so important and is usually the first thing to drop out of our busy lives. Please make time to exercise. And sit down and read a good book. If I am a little slow at the final event, it will because I am running my own marathon Saturday morning at the Eisenbahn Marathon in West Bend. As I pass each of the 26.2 miles in the morning, I will be thinking of all you awesome kids who will be completing your marathon that evening.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

WELS Kids Marathon Update #5

Group Fun Run

I just wanted to remind you all of the Group Fun Run taking place this Friday at Bluhm Park in Muskego at 6:30PM. Here is a link to a map and directions to the park. http://mapq.st/pU4DYl This will be our last group fun run before the final event as the Fun Run scheduled for Sunday, August 14th has now been cancelled. Please join us in Muskego for fun, a run, and fellowship. Everyone is welcome.

Name the Race Contest

We have received only a couple entries for the Name the Race Contest. We need your ideas! Please send in your ideas to welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. If we do not receive more suggestions, we may need to delay the new name announcement.

Volunteers

We are looking for a few people who would be willing to help out at the Final Mile Event on Saturday, August 27 starting at 6:00PM. We need help with the registration table, food preparation and serving, course marshals, and handing out medals. It takes a lot of volunteers to make the final event a fun and safe event for the kids and to create memories they will have for years to come. If you are willing to help out, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. Most volunteer jobs allow you to still watch the kids run!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

WELS Kids Marathon Update #4

Make It Happen Fund

This year’s WELS Kids Marathon Charity Donation will be to the Make it Happen Fund. I wanted to share with you the “Who” behind the Make it Happen Fund.

Jenny Crain is a runner who attended Franklin High School in the 1980’s. After college, she grew into one of the best marathon runners in the United States. In 2005, Jenny represented the United States in the World Track & Field Championships held in Helsinki, Finland. She ran a time of 2:39:02, good for 36th place.

Jenny Crain winning Milwaukee's Al's Run

Jenny is a very friendly and welcoming runner in the Milwaukee area. I have personally met her many times at local races that she runs even though she was world class runner. She loved running locally and supported all the local runners.

In 2007, Jenny was training for her fourth US Olympic Marathon Trials. She was on a run on the east side of Milwaukee when she was unexpectedly hit by a car just before finishing her run. She received major injuries to her body and her brain. She survived though. And with an Olympic spirit in her heart that would win gold a thousand times over, she began the biggest training of her life, recovery. Over the last 4 years, she has worked her way up to being able to walk with the aid of a walker. Last month, she walked 1 mile at a local charity run on her behalf. She has a long way to go.

Team Jenny at the Brewers Game, Jenny sitting in the middle.

Many local runners have now supported Jenny the way she supported them over the years. The Make it Happen Fund was set up to help Jenny with her massive medical bills. Now the kids of the WELS Kids Marathon are supporting Jenny too! This year, the WELS Kids Marathon will make a donation to the Make It Happen Fund.

This fall, at the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee, Team Jenny will be attempting to break a World Record for the most runners tethered together running a full marathon. I have been graciously invited to join this team allowing me to share this wonderful story of survival with you all. 75 of us will be tethered with a rope all running the whole 26.2 miles together. Runners of all abilities are now training to accomplish this World Record. Please follow our journey as we support Jenny.

If you feel inspired to make a personal donation to the Make it Happen Fund, please follow this link.

If you would like to learn more about the Jenny Crain Story, here is a link to a wonderful story published in Runner’s World Magazine. Well worth the read.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

WELS Kids Marathon Update #3

Only 1 more month until the Final Mile of the WELS Kids Marathon. How many miles do you have done? How many books or hours do you have read? Are you already done and going for the Ultimate Challenge and on your second round? Wherever you are, you still have a month to go!

Reminder

This coming Saturday, July 30th, is the first Group Fun Run in Sussex. Everyone is welcome! Belinda will be hosting the event. The run will be started at Faith Lutheran Church and either run through Sussex Village Park or hit the Bugline Bike Trail for extra miles if you would like. Belinda has invited everyone to join the Faith Lutheran Saturday evening service beginning at 5:30PM or show up at 6:30PM for just the run. After the run, we will be heading nearby to Culver’s for some Ice Cream. No need to RSVP! Faith Lutheran Church is located at W244N6383 Weaver Dr. in Sussex. If you need directions from anywhere, please follow this link http://mapq.st/qi3wQl

There will also be Group Fun Runs on Friday, August 12th in Muskego at Bluhm Park starting at 6:30PM and another on Sunday, August 14th at the South Milwaukee High School starting at 6:00PM. Directions to come soon and will be posted on the website.

Website

Our website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) has all the information you may need about the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

WELS Kids Marathon Update #2

With a little over a month until the final Mile, you should all be well into your miles and your reading. I hope your log is filling up nicely. In this excessive heat outside, make sure you hydrate yourself well with lots of water. Please be safe out there and don’t overdo it.

We are busy planning the final event and gathering lots of prizes to give away when the run is complete. We are lining up a special guest and hope to make this final mile better than ever. I just ordered the shirts and the finisher’s medals. The medal is really cool this year and better than most of the medals I have from the numerous marathons I have run.

Marathon Fun Fact

Legend has it that in the year 490p BC, Pheidipiddes, a Greek soldier, ran from the town of Marathon to Athens, Greece, to announce the victory of the Greek Army. This distance was approximately 25 miles. Unfortunately Pheidipiddes died at the end of his run. In the year 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games, the Marathon was brought back. The distance was increased to 26 miles 385 yards in the year 1908 at the London Olympics when the Royal Family of England wanted the Marathon race to begin outside the balcony of Windsor Castle. And in 1924, the new distance of 26 miles 385 yards became the official length of the marathon.

Group Fun Runs

We have scheduled 3 fun runs for you to join us and have fun meeting new people and going on a run to log some more miles. Come to one or come to all of the scheduled events.

The first is scheduled on Saturday, July 30th in Sussex. Belinda has invited everyone out to Faith Lutheran Church for a 5:30PM service followed by a fun run along the Bug Line Trail or through Sussex Village Park. If you can’t make the service, join us at 6:30PM for the fun run. After the run, we will head to Culver’s close by for some ice cream. Faith Church is located right next to Sussex Village Park at W244N6383 Weaver Dr. in Sussex.

The second fun run is scheduled for Friday, August 12th in Muskego. The location is yet to be determined but the time should be at 6:30PM.

The final fun run will be held at the South Milwaukee High School Track on Sunday, August 14th at 6:00PM. Greg is planning some fun activities so plan on coming for fun and a run. South Milwaukee High School is located at 801 15th Ave. in South Milwaukee.

Name the Race

In an effort to attract more kids to join us in the fun over the summer, we have decided to rename the WELS Kids Marathon. But we want YOU to give us the name. Please email us with your suggestions. The rules are simple, please keep the suggestions to a relatively short name and it must include “Kids Marathon” in the name. The child who suggests the winning name will be given a free entry into all our future Kids Marathon until they are past 8th grade. If more than one child suggests the winning name, he/she will all be given a free entry into next year’s Kids Marathon. Please email us your suggestions at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com. We have received a few suggestions already but would like a ton more. So put on your thinking caps and send in those suggestions.

Sponsors

We have been blessed with a lot of great sponsors who have helped up this year with either monetary donations or prize donations for the kids. If you know of or would like to be a sponsor, please email us. It could be just some prizes to be given out or a monetary donation. We will definitely let everyone know all about you and have you linked on our website. Here is a list of our sponsors already this year:

Thrivent Financial
Slingstone Products
Wisconsin Lutheran College
SkyHigh Marketing
Mike Evans Design
Performance Running Outfitters
Central Office Systems
Sitzberger Widmann & Company
Kwik Trip Stores
Food Ingerdients Inc.
The Athlete’s Foot New Berlin
Quality Resource Group
Dupont Cheese, Marion, WI
Century Springs Water
Milwaukee Bucks

Website

Our website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) has all the information you may need about the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.

Volunteers

We will need a lot of volunteers for our final event to make it smooth and memorable for the kids. In the next update, I will be asking for volunteers to email us if they are available. We will have a variety of jobs that will need to be done and most will allow you to still watch your children run. Please give us some consideration and we will start compiling that list soon.

Charitable Contribution

Finally, we have chosen the Make it Happen Fund as the charitable contribution for the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. I have been in contact with the Make it Happen Fund and will share more in an update real soon. I need to get some web links and story first. Please stay tuned.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

2011 WELS Kids Marathon Update #1

Welcome to the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon! We are excited to bring you this unique event full of fun once again this summer. If you are receiving this update, that means we have you on our list as an entrant. We hope you are enjoying running and reading all summer and learning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. If you have any comments or concerns, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com.

Reading & Running Logs

There has been some confusion about the Reading & Running Logs this year. It can be found and printed from our website http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/. Please look to the right side of the screen near the top and you will see a link to the printable Logs. Print as many as you need. We apologize if this caused any confusion this year.

Final Event

For those of you in the Greater Milwaukee Area, the final “Mile” event will be held at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Raabe Stadium on Saturday, August 27th starting at 6:00PM. This is an evening event this year in hopes that the kids who have sports practices on Saturday mornings will be able to attend. We are still planning the details but we should have lots of prizes to give away and maybe a surprise guest appearance. We do have a couple schools in Green Bay that have joined and will have their own final mile.

Name the Race Contest

In an effort to attract more kids to join us in the fun over the summer, we have decided to rename the WELS Kids Marathon. But we want YOU to give us the name. Please email us with your suggestions. The rules are simple, please keep the suggestions to a relatively short name and it must include “Kids Marathon” in the name. The child who suggests the winning name will be given a free entry into all our future Kids Marathon until they are past 8th grade. If more than one child suggests the winning name, he/she will all be given a free entry into next year’s Kids Marathon. Please email us your suggestions at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com.

New This Year

We are planning having up to 4 different “Group Fun Runs” around the Milwaukee area this summer. The dates have not been scheduled yet but they will likely be in the evenings on Saturdays or Sundays. The idea is just to get together and have fun exercising with friends and family so bring your friends along. We plan on having Group Fun Runs in South Milwaukee, Muskego, Waukesha, and possibly in Sussex. Each run will be planned by a different WELS Kids Marathon Committee Member so they will all be different. Everyone is welcome to any or all of these runs. Locations, dates, times, and directions will come soon.

Sponsors

An event like this cannot be done without all our great sponsors who help us out with cash donations, supplies and prizes. We would like to again thank Thrivent Financial who is our main sponsor for the 3rd year in a row. If you would like to become a sponsor or know someone or company that would like to become a sponsor, please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com.

Website

Our website (http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/) has all the information you may need about the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. Some sections you will find on the website include: Frequently asked questions, directions to the Final Event, course map, sponsor links, updates, etc. Please feel free to leave us a comment on the site as well.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

Quick Note

We are starting to get in a lot of entries for the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon, that is great! I have already received a few schools entries and many that were sent to the address listed on the bottom of the entry form. Please try to have entries mailed to me by mid June so we can start to order the shirts and medals so they arrive on time.

Also, please look to the right side of the screen on this website under the "Event Links" title and you will see a link for Printable Reading & Running Logs. Please go there and print out a log to help you keep track of your books and miles this summer. Teachers and School Representative, please print out some and hand them out to the kids who have signed up from your school.

Thank you again for all your help and for all of you ready to complete your marathons. Please email us with any questions or comments you may have. welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com

Bill Schneider
WELS Kids Marathon Director

2011 WELS Kids Marathon

It is time for the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. We are beginning our 3rd year and looking to have a better than ever event.

The WELS Kids Marathon will again consist of kids grades K through 8 running or walking 26.2 miles while reading either 26 books or reading for 26 hours over the summer. Healthy minds and healthy bodies are our goal! We will once again all join together to run the final mile together where you will cross the finish line of your marathon receiving a finishers medal.

In the next few days, we will be putting the entry form on line you to download. If your school is participating, please check for who your representative is and sign up that way. If your school is not participating and you still want to enter, please download the entry form and send it to the address listed on the form.

We have some new schools participating this year and welcome any other school that would like to join. This year's final event will be held again at Wisconsin Lutheran College's Raabe Stadium. The final event will be held on Saturday, August 27th but this year, we will be starting at 7:00PM.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon, please contact us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com

Stay up to date by checking this site and please send any questions you have to welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com

Icebreaker Indoor Marathon & Half Marathon

To all of you who ran in the Icebreaker Marathon this weekend, thank you for checking out the WELS Kids Marathon website. I will be running in the full marathon tomorrow morning and very soon after that, I will post a note on the plans for the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon. We would love to have your kids join us this summer for a summer full or running and reading.

In the mean time, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions section for more information.

Please email us at welskidsmarathon@yahoo.com

Please check back soon!