Youth on the
Run Program trains kids to go the distance WORDS | Kathryn S. Gardiner
T
PICS | Courtesy YMCA
hanksgiving Day in 2009 found Angela Dilts and her three children at the crowded starting line of the annual Turkey Trot 5K sponsored by the Bloomington Bagel Company. During the run, her kids had to walk several times, “of course,” Angela said, “because they hadn’t trained.” And that realization lead to a thought that launched a program at the Monroe County YMCA: “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could train kids to run a 5K?” Soon after that holiday run, Angela, the preschool/youth/ camp director at the Y, created the youth running program. More than 20 children enrolled for the first session. The program “feeds into our own races,” Angela said. Each spring and fall, the Monroe County YMCA hosts a fun run, which includes both a 5K and 10K running course. The six-week program prepares kids to participate. 20