Local Business Owner Brings Youth Running Series to San Antonio

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Looking for a way to get your children up and running? Wondering how to help your kids unplug and get them excited about physical activity? With childhood obesity rates climbing at alarming rates, it is more important than ever to instill healthy habits and introduce children to the rewards of an active lifestyle at a young age. So help your kids put their screen time on pause and join New Balance San Antonio as it encourages kids to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, help increase their self-esteem, and make new friends through the Healthy Kids Running Series, a national series of events designed to provide kids with a positive, educational and fun experience in the world of running.

The Healthy Kids Running Series (HKRS) is a non-profit youth running program that motivates kids to be healthy and active while providing a fun environment to improve children’s self-esteem. HKRS encourages kids to adopt a “Get Up and Go” attitude while learning the fun of running.

Children are natural runners, so why not encourage their love of the sport and set them on the path to a healthy future? Regular physical activity can reduce the risk for obesity, diabetes and other health problems later in life. It can also improve self-esteem, reduce disruptive behavior and have positive effects on academic achievement, making it good for both body and mind.

San Antonio faces a tough challenge: 24 percent of children in Bexar County are overweight vs. a 16 percent national average, while an additional 20 percent of Bexar County’s children are at risk for being overweight. Obese children are at a significantly greater risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistant type-2 diabetes, but regular physical activity can help fight all of that and keep children on a healthy path for life.

Rob Kaufman, Owner of New Balance San Antonio and Director of the Healthy Kids Running Series (HKRS) San Antonio is bringing HKRS to life in San Antonio for the first time. Kaufman and his New Balance San Antonio team are the driving force behind the series, donating their time to managing and running all aspects of the running series in an effort to spark a love of running in San Antonio’s young citizens.

Passionate about fitness, Kaufman has seen the effects of San Antonio’s obesity problem first hand. “We’re on the front-line of fitness in San Antonio, providing shoes and running gear for people at all levels of the sport. We know that finding the right fit so people of all ages can not only improve performance and avoid injury, but just get moving in the right direction, is so important,” explains Kaufman. “Every step forward is a positive move in San Antonio’s fight for better health and the Healthy Kids Running Series can get kids started on the right foot and get them excited about running, as well as physical fitness in general.”

HKRS is a five-week program designed for children ages 3 to 14 or pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. The series takes place once a week beginning March 23rd. Racers can complete the entire series or simply sign up for the events and dates they prefer. Races are designed for each age group including a 50-yard dash for Pre-K, the 1/4 mile for Kindergarten and 1st Grade, the 1/2 mile for 2nd and 3rd Grade, and the one mile run for 4th, 5th and middle schoolers. Children will compete each week of the series based on their grade level. Score is kept, but the goal is to help kids improve their times every week and encourage a love of physical fitness while having fun.

The series will be held at Olmos Basin Sports Complex, 651 Devine Rd. and kicks off Sunday March 23rd, then continues Sundays March 30th, April 6th, 13th and 27th. Each series session will be 5:00–6:00 p.m., participants are asked to arrive 45 minutes early if they have not pre-registered or have not picked up their race bag at either of the race bag pick-up times: Friday, March 21st (3:00-5:00pm) or Saturday, March 22nd (10:00am-12:00pm) at New Balance San Antonio Quarry Village.

San Antonio’s Healthy Kids Running Series is $10 per session or $30 for the whole series. Every participant will receive a Healthy Kids Running Series t-shirt and race bag containing New Balance shoe laces, coupons, and other goodies.

Kids will compete each week of the HKRS for a chance to earn points, and at the end of the series the top boy and girl with the most points in their respective age division will receive a trophy. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow each runner is, as all participants will receive a medal for their achievements.

Parents interested in the series can learn more and pre-register their children by visiting:

http://www.healthykidsrunningseries.org/race_locations/san-antonio-tx/

Parents can also register at the event by arriving 45 minutes prior to the event kick off at 5:00 p.m.

Healthy Kids Running Series
Olmos Basin Sports Complex
651 Devine Rd
San Antonio, TX 78209

Sundays, March 23rd, 30th and April 6th, 13th, 27th
5:00-6:00 p.m.
Race Bag Pick-Up:
New Balance San Antonio Quarry Village
Friday, March 21st (3:00-5:00pm)
Saturday, March 22nd (10:00am-12:00pm)