I Run Kids Marathon Update #3

Can you believe it? We are only a couple days away from the Final Mile of the 4th annual I Run Kids Marathon. Where did the summer go? I think it melted away it was so hot. If you have a few last minute miles to get in, now is the time. Need to get in that last book of the summer, time is now!

We have been so busy the last couple weeks getting everything prepared for the Final Mile which takes place this Saturday evening starting at 6:00PM at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Raabe Stadium. The shirts have arrived and are now nicely rolled for ease of distribution. I picked up the Finishers Medals today, they look great! We have the Chocolate and White Milk on order from Kwik Trip as well as the bananas. I do not know about the cookies yet, but no worries, if they don’t come, I will buy some. Pure water will be available from Century Springs again this year too.

And lots of prizes to give away after the mile again this year. The Green Bay Packers donated some cool stuff. Gift Certificates for Nike, Performance Running Outfitters, and Athletes Foot in New Berlin. Athletes Foot even donated some backpacks too! The Pettit National Ice Center donated some Skating/Running Passes and Sherwood Pictures donated 3 DVD’s of the movie “Facing the Giants”, one of my favorite movies I might add. We also have water bottles and some books to give away too. I hope we are not there all night giving stuff away. And the bananas are back!!!

Timeline

Please make sure you plan to arrive by 6:30PM as there may be a line at Packet Pickup. I know there was a bad situation last year on this but we feel we have solved this issue (in other words, I longer have anything to do with it). Here is a rough timeline of the events at the Final Mile. These times are only approximate.

6:00PM - Packet Pickup Starts
6:00PM until the end – Music plays
6:40PM – Warm up with leader Laurie Staerkel from Innovative Health and Fitness in Franklin
6:55PM – National Anthem
7:00PM – Race #1 begins for kids grades 4 and under
7:15PM – Race #2 begins for kids grades 5 and up
7:30PM – Charity Mile for Family and Friends, all proceeds go directly to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
7:50PM – Awards and Prizes

Directions

Directions to the Final Mile can be found on the website. Please review as it is a little tricky finding the stadium. Please enter off of Watertown Plank Rd. Look for signs at the entrance.

Adults and Older Teens Mile (The Charity Mile)

New this year, we will be having a 1 mile fun run/walk for older teens and adults. Kids, get your parents, grandparents, neighbors, anyone who has encourages and given you support during you marathon to run their own 1 mile race. If you can do and entire 26.2 miles, they can do 1 mile, right? We will have this 1 mile fun run/walk immediately after the last kids final mile. It will be $10 to enter with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. While there will be no shirt for the adults (unless they are a volunteer), there will be medals awarded to the top 3 male and female finishers. Everyone will get the satisfaction of giving the kids who need help.

Volunteers

I would like to thank all of you that have volunteered already. We can’t put this event on without the help of so many kind people giving their time and talents. Be sure to thank those at the Final Mile in the Bright Green Volunteer Shirts.

I do still need a couple more volunteers and have a great shirt for you if you do. My photographer suddenly got celled away yesterday and will not be able to attend. If you are an amateur (or professional) photographer and would like to take a ton of pictures, we would love to have you. Please email me if you are interested. I do have a “rabbit” to lead the runners out but still need a “turtle” to make sure everyone safely finishes. Please let me know if you are able to do this, you can ride your bike if you choose.

When the Final Mile is over, please take a minute to clean up any trash you see. Wisconsin Lutheran College has been very generous in donating the use of their facility, let’s leave it cleaner than when we arrived.

Sponsors

I would like to thank all of our sponsors who help make this event possible by donating cash, prizes, talents, or use of equipment. Please support these companies whenever possible:

Wisconsin Lutheran College
Sky High Marketing
Mike Evans Design
Kwik Trip Stores
Performance Running Outfitters
Spiegelberg Financial Services
The Athlete’s Foot New Berlin
La Campagne Bakery
Nike
Chris Ponteri at Long Run Athletics
Sherwood Pictures
Green Bay Packers

Thank You

I would like to thank all of you for joining the 2012 I Run Kids Marathon. It is truly a rewarding feeling I get to see all the kids achieve their goals of completing a full marathon over the summer. I certainly hope everyone has the same feelings I have not only at the Final Mile, but throughout the summer program. You will see me, as with every year, at the finish line giving high fives to all the kids as the finish their marathon. Come say hi to me and introduce yourself. And as always, I encourage you to give me your feedback on the program. We know it is not a perfect program, but we are all donating tons of our time to make it the best that we can. Suggestions are welcome.

Bill Schneider
I Run Kids Marathon Director

2012 I Run Kids Marathon Update #2

Are you watching the Olympics? I sure am! I love the Olympics and watch tons of sports I don’t watch but once in 4 years. One of the greatest events in the Olympics is the Marathon. The Olympics originated in Greece and so did the marathon. The Women’s Olympic marathon will take place this coming Sunday and running for the United States will be Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, and Desiree Davila (maybe pulling out). All 3 are outstanding marathon runners and each has a chance for a medal. If you care to watch the race Live, it will be broadcast Sunday at 5:00AM

The Men’s Olympic Marathon will be run next Sunday and broadcast at the same time. Running for the United States will be Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, and Abdi Abdirahman. Meb was the Silver Medalist from 8 years ago in Athens. Should be a great race to watch.

And all you kids marathoners can be proud to know you are running the EXACT same distance, 26.2 miles! You should be proud of your accomplishment and I hope to see big smiles on you as you cross the finish line on the 25th. They don’t have to read like you guys are, but I can bet they do a lot of reading anyways.

Prizes

We are still looking for more prizes to give away to the kids after the final mile. If you or your company would like to donate some prizes, please contact me at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. We will make sure you are recognized for your generosity. Kids, make sure you attend the final mile. You must attend to be eligible for a door prize. We have already received gifts from Nike, The Pettit Center, as well as the Green Bay Packers.

Adults and Older Teens Mile

New this year, we will be having a 1 mile fun run/walk for older teens and adults. Kids, get your parents, grandparents, neighbors, anyone who has encourages and given you support during you marathon to run their own 1 mile race. If you can do and entire 26.2 miles, they can do 1 mile, right? We will have this 1 mile fun run/walk immediately after the last kids final mile. It will be $10 to enter with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. While there will be no shirt for the adults (unless they are a volunteer), there will be medals awarded to the top 3 male and female finishers. Everyone will get the satisfaction of giving the kids who need help.

Sponsors

We are so thankful for all the sponsors who make this event possible. Please support these sponsors like they support us. On the website, you can see all our sponsors logos and links to their websites. Thank you to Wisconsin Lutheran College, SkyHigh Marketing, Mike Evens Design, Kwik Trip, Performance Running Outfitters, Spiegelberg Financial Services, DuPont Cheese in Marion, WI, The Athlete’s Foot in New Berlin, Nike, The Pettit Center, and La Campagne Bakery.

Directions

Directions to the Final Mile can be found on the I Run Kids Marathon website. Please follow this link to see directions to the Final Mile.

Volunteers

We will need volunteers for the Final Mile as well. If you are interested in volunteering at the Final Mile, please email us at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. We need help with course safety, set up, food preparation, and clean up. All volunteers will receive an I Run Kids Marathon shirt for their help and still be able to still see their kids run as well as have time to run the Adults and Older Teens Mile.

Thank you

Thank you for your participation in the 2012 I Run Kids Marathon. If you have any questions, please refer to the I Run Kids Marathon website or email us at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. Go out and run a mile!

2012 I Run Kids Marathon Update #1

Wow, can you believe it? We are a little over 1 month away from the Final Mile of the 2012 I Run Kids Marathon. By receiving this email, you can be assured that you are signed up. I hope you are all logging lots of miles and reading tons of books this summer. It is so important to get off the couch and off the video games during the summer and go out and play. Go out and exercise. Go out and have some fun! It is equally important to keep your mind sharp by reading books over the summer. Research shows that kids who read over the summer do remarkably better in school than kids who do not.

The Final Mile will take place on Saturday, August 25th starting at 6:00PM at Raabe Stadium at the Wisconsin Lutheran College’s athletic fields. Packet pick up be at 6:00 with the races beginning at 7:00.

New this year, we will be having a 1 mile fun run/walk for older teens and adults. Kids, get your parents, grandparents, neighbors, anyone who has encourages and given you support during you marathon to run their own 1 mile race. If you can do and entire 26.2 miles, they can do 1 mile, right? We will have this 1 mile fun run/walk immediately after the last kids final mile. It will be $10 to enter with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. While there will be no shirt for the adults (unless they are a volunteer), there will be medals awarded to the top 3 male and female finishers. Everyone will get the satisfaction of giving the kids who need help.

Speaking of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, this fine hospital is the charity that was chosen for the I Run Kids Marathon. Kids helping kids! There are so many of us who have used Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin over the years, including 2 of my kids, and they are such a great hospital and a wonderful asset to our community. Please help us help them.

Sponsors

We are always looking for more sponsors for the I Run Kids Marathon. Right now, what we need more than anything else is prizes to be given away as door prizes for the kids. We are beginning to accumulate prizes but could use more. If you would like to donate and prizes, please contact us at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. We have been blessed with some great sponsors over the past 3 years and we would love for you to join us this year.

Directions

Direction to the Final Mile can be found on the I Run Kids Marathon website. Please follow this link to see directions to the Final Mile.

Volunteers

We will need volunteers for the Final Mile as well. If you are interested in volunteering at the Final mile, please email us at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. We need help with course safety, set up, food preparation, and clean up.  Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

Thank you for joining the 2012 I Run Kids Marathon. If you have any questions, please refer to the I Run Kids Marathon website http://kidsmarathon.blogspot.com/ or email us at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com. Go out and run a mile!

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
I Run Kids Marathon Director

New School Participation

Thank you for your interest in your school entering the I Run Kids Marathon. The goal of the I Run Kids Marathon is to get kids out and exercising in the summer as well as opening a book to exercise their minds. Healthy Bodies & Healthy Minds.

What is the Kids Marathon? It is a program where kids will run (or walk) and entire marathon, 26.2 miles, over the summer, a 1/4 mile at a time. Kids will also read either 26 books or for 26 hours, 1/4 hour at a time, over the summer. Near the end of summer, all kids participating will join to run our FINAL MILE of the marathon together and all cross the same finish line.

What do the kids get? All participants will receive an I Run Kids Marathon shirt as well as an I Run Kids Marathon finishers medal. There will possibly be some donations for the kids in their goody bags they receive as well as many prizes that will be raffled off at the FINAL MILE. And lots food and beverages for the kids. Kids will also be able to print out a running & reading log to begin their journey at the beginning of summer.

How much does it cost for a school to participate? Absolutely nothing! There is an individual entry fee per child of under $15 that go toward the costs of shirts, medal, insurance, food, etc, but no cost to any school. We do request that each school provide a "Representative" to promote the event at your school, hand out and collect entry forms and then send them to the I Run Kids Marathon. Any questions that the representative may have can be answered quickly. The cost of our event is kept low due to many wonderful sponsors either donating money, supplies, or great prizes to be given to the kids at the FINAL MILE.

Why participate in the I Run Kids Marathon? We all know there is a growing issue with kids exercising less and obesity levels rising. The I Run Kids Marathon strives to get kids out exercising and teaching that exercise is fun as well. We also strive to get kids to keep reading over the summer. Just because school is out for the summer doesn't mean we should all stop learning. Reading over the summer goes a long way to beginning the new school year well.

Who can participate? The I Run Kids Marathon is open to all kids finishing Kindergarten through 7th grade at the end of Spring. We do allow younger kids to participate but stress that parents need to know everything involved in taking on a whole marathon, even if it is over the entire summer.

Who are the organizers? The I Run Kids Marathon is the brain child of Bill Schneider of Muskego, WI. Bill is an active runner since the 5th grade and has run 39 full marathons to date as well as many other distances. He ran on his High School's Cross Country and Track teams as well as his College's Cross Country and Track teams. He has 3 young daughters that love to run and even coaches track and cross country as their school. He loves to share his passion for running. He is aided in the organization of the I Run Kids Marathon by Greg Uehling, Gwen Scherf, and Belinda Matter, all parents of young children and love to run themselves. David Habben also helps and advises on the I Run Kids Marathon.

Is there a Charity Involved? Yes. Over the past few years, we have made donations to MS Run The US, Luke Currier Fund, and well and the Jenny Crain Make It Happen Fund. We have decided in the future to choose a children's charity so the kids can help kids. One of the themes of the I Run Kids Marathon is "I Run to make a difference!" We want all the kids who participate to feel like they made a difference not only in their own lives, but in the lives of other kids.

So in a nutshell, that is the I Run Kids Marathon. If you have any further questions or want to be a representative for a school, please email is at kidsmarathon@yahoo.com.

Thank you,

Bill Schneider
I Run Kids Marathon Director

I Run Kids Marathon!

It has now been almost 6 months since the 2011 WELS Kids Marathon and what a success it was. 433 wonderful kids from the Milwaukee area (as well and Green Bay, Lake Mills, and other parts of the great state of Wisconsin) completed their own marathon by running 26.2 miles over the summer as well as reading 26 books or for 26 hours. Congratulations, you guys are awesome!


It is now time for the committee and I to begin the planning for the 2012 Kids Marathon. We have decided to make a few changes to the Kids Marathon but hopefully they are all for the better and kids everywhere.


First, last year we had a contest to decide on a new name for the Kids Marathon. The goal was to make the program become friendlier as well as attract more kids (and parents) to share our passions with. Unfortunately, we only receive a few submitted names and while each one was a great name, it wasn't quite what we were looking for. In the end, we have decided to rename the Kids Marathon to the "I Run Kids Marathon". No, the name has nothing to do with the Apple and we don't want it to be confused with that at all. We chose this name because that is what I do, I run. That is what the entire committee does, and it is what we hope you or your child does, Run! I Run ... to Make a Difference! I Run ... to be healthy! I Run ... for God! There are a million reasons why people run, I could list off so many as to why I run and I am going to leave it open to the Kids of the 2012 I Run Kids Marathon to come up with their own reasons. We maybe even post these reasons on this site or at the final mile late this summer. Why do you run? We will find out soon.


The second change will be the charity we choose for the kids donation. We absolutely love the fact that we made a donation to the Jenny Crain Make It Happen fund last year as well as MS Run the US. These are wonderful charitable causes and I hope you continue to support these. But the decision has been made that we will choose a "children's" charity in the future similar to when we made a donation to help for the care of Luke Currier and his battle with Klippel-Feil Syndrome. After all, it is kids who are running the Kids Marathon (like Luke did the past 2 years), let's support kids who need help. We have not chosen which charity it will be for 2012 as of yet so if you have a great choice, please let us know about it.


We have a few more ideas formulating as well. How many of you kids marathon participants want to see your parents or friends run the final mile as well? We are looking to create a 1 mile race to take place right after the kids are done for high school aged kids and adults. Let's get everyone out there running! With a small donation directly to the charity we choose, adults (parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends) can run a mile too and maybe even with a prize. We will work to make this happen at the final mile.


Let me conclude by thanking all the kids, parents, and sponsors who have supported the Kids Marathon the first 3 years we have existed. To date, we have had a total of 1027 kids marathoners and we hope and pray that this is only the beginning.


Why do you Run?


Thank you,


Bill Schneider
I Run Kids Marathon Director

"I Run To Make A Difference"