Adi Stuhlsatz
A slight jog around the Anneberg field for the Cross Country and Track & Field K-State student athletes and kids in the Run Your City MHK on Oct. 5th.
On a Sunday afternoon at Anneburg Park field, a new chapter of Run Your City takes shape in Manhattan — a program that’s part of a national effort to make running and athletics easily accessible for children. Track athletes from Kansas State are leading the way as the chapter prepares for its last meeting of the inaugural fall season.
Six weeks of team practice and organized races were free of charge and open to kids in grades K-8. Chapter president Jourdin Edwards is one K-State track athlete who helped make that possible.
Edwards’ responsibility as chapter president is to plan the weekly practices, coordinate with the parents or guardians, draft newsletters and ensure that coaches/leadership collaborate. The senior spoke about the ways they use running to educate kids and how running has helped her learn discipline.
“The things we learn on the track are also very applicable to life skills that we’re trying to develop off the track to become good adults and people in general,” Edwards said. “We do a lot with not only running, but teaching them. We have small words of the day that we go through, teach them the definitions and then how they can apply those new words to their life.”
Edwards wants these children to apply what they learn at school, at home or even on the playground.
Fellow track athlete and sophomore Ariana Jackson is also involved, overseeing social media and public relations. Jackson studies kinesiology and is passionate about motivating people to move, especially for the good of the community. She said she’s happy to see kids finding their own tranquility from the sport.
“I found peace in getting up and doing morning runs,” Jackson said. “You find peace in your environment. I’m glad these kids are able to come out laughing and see smiles on their faces.”
Cyrus Ways, a junior track athlete for K-State, handles sponsor and donor relations for the chapter. Ways began running at the age of 5 and is thankful for what the sport has given him.
“It’s given me an opportunity to better myself and my family,” Ways said. “I’m just glad to pass down that knowledge to the little participants around us.”
Run Your City is helpful for the youth of the community who lack access to sports or athletics.
“I think one challenge I see is clubs and how expensive they can be,” Jackson said. “Then there’s also the factor of if you’re not good enough, you may be overlooked.”
After talking with local parents, Edwards realized there weren’t many opportunities in the Manhattan area for kids who simply wanted to lace up their shoes and go for a run.
“When I was speaking to parents of children, they had mentioned that some of their kids just want to run,” Edwards said. “There’s more opportunity in Manhattan for football, soccer, volleyball — but not really anything for kids who want to do a solo sport.”
Jackson helps out with kids under 5. She said encouragement helps the kids strive for success and makes them more comfortable with each other.
“I challenge them to talk to someone you may not know yet and make a friend,” Jackson said. “They’re younger, so obviously there’s going to be some fear, but I have 5-year-olds giving high fives to 12-year-olds. It’s a different social dynamic and I love that.”
The change in attitude from the first Sunday of the program to the most recent is noticeable to Edwards.
“The majority of those kids that came in and were kind of timid in meeting us are so much more energetic and confident,” Edwards said. “We’ve got about 60 kids out there right now, so seeing them make friends is really beautiful.”
This Sunday will be the last meeting of the fall season. A spring season may conflict with K-State track and field, but another fall season is in the works.
“If you missed this season, we will always have another season next year, and it will be 10 times better,” Jackson said.
If you’re a parent of a child who wants to get out there and run, Edwards can give you a little glimpse of what you can expect on Oct. 12.
“We have organized races and we announce all the kids like we would do at a regular meet,” Edwards said. “We’re trying to have music, little rewards for the kids and popsicles.”
For more information on Run Your City, visit its website and view all the chapters around the country. For information on the Manhattan chapter specifically, visit the chapter’s Instagram. (@runyourcity.mhk)