Monterey, CA - The Big Sur Marathon's JUST RUN(r) program has kicked off a new school year and is busy enrolling groups for the new season. The award winning youth fitness program plans to surpass its 2009-10 totals of 79 schools, 6,000 participants and 200,000 miles logged.
JUST RUN is a nationally recognized, free, web-based program developed by the Big Sur International Marathon. It provides individual teachers, school volunteers, and youth leaders with the tools necessary to set a successful running and fitness program in motion, and is easy to implement before, during or after the school day.
"We are hoping for a larger than ever enrollment," said program administrator Susan Love. "JUST RUN is a great addition to any school or youth organization, and our free program is a solution for schools that lost program funding and were forced to eliminate physical education." JUST RUN organizers are providing new tools to assist leaders in the program.
In addition to informative instructional videos added to the website during the past year, a new Leader Manual has been developed to assist teachers and volunteer leaders on the field or playground. JUST RUN organizers are planning school visits during the coming months to encourage adoption of the program. Because of its website based model, the JUST RUN program is easily available to schools and youth organizations throughout the world. Currently there are four out-of-area models: a healthcare system in Green Bay, WI, a running club in Albany, NY, a marathon race in Long Beach, CA, and a municipality in Miami Lakes, FL. In 2009-10, the program was adopted in 17 states.
In addition to promoting exercise and fitness, the multi-faceted program is educational. Classes collectively accumulate mileage in "virtual runs" across the USA and Europe that are tracked on the website. Hundreds of locations through which the children run are web-linked, highlighting geography, history, and points of interest. The JUST DEEDS feature of the program encourages the kids to perform acts of good citizenship, and the nutritional component, JUST TASTE, promotes healthy eating. For more information on the JUST RUN program and how to get started, contact Susan Love at 831-625-6226 or susanwlove@sbcglobal.net.