March 5, 2008
For the second year, UCLA Athletics hosted the Final Mile Medal Celebration for Marathon Kids on Saturday, March 1st. Over 2,500 k-5th graders and their families from the Los Angeles Unified School District returned to Drake Stadium to celebrate the end of the five-month program. They ran the final lap of their incremental 26.2 mile marathon and received their participant medals. Jeanette Boldon, head women's track and field coach and head coach of the 2008 Olympic team, was on hand to cheer on the kids and congratulate the participants for their accomplishments. Over 80 Bruin student-athletes and staff volunteered their time to hand out medals, sign autographs, run with the participants, and cheer on the kids as they accomplished their goals.
In October, UCLA Athletics hosted the Kick Off Celebration which brought over 1,500 kindergarden through 5th graders from LAUSD and their families to Drake Stadium. These young students have spent the past five months participating in the incremental school based fitness program, and working towards their final mile celebration.
Marathon Kids® is a ten year old, free, endurance building running/walking/nutrition/gardening program for kindergartners through 5th graders. The mission is to build a joyful community around children and be quickly accepted into public, private and home schools as a free, innovative celebratory fitness program, resonating with the child and with the child's family. The goal is for the child to develop the love and habit of moving through space and to carry forward the power of muscular, nutritional and psychological well being.