It Starts with Those Shoes
Damon Porter looked into a crowd of 50 students inside the auditorium of Davison Elementary-Middle School on Thursday morning and had one question:
“Who all watched the Olympics this year?” asked Porter, who leads the physical education curriculum at Detroit Public Schools Community District. Students, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, slowly raised their hands. “You all can be there. And it starts with those shoes.”
“Those shoes” are free running shoes from Priority Health, sponsor of the first Kids Marathon, part of the 47th annual Detroit Free Press Marathon, presented by MSUFCU. In a pilot partnership with five DPSCD schools, 250 students will receive running shoes and free registration for the Kids Marathon, which will wrap up on Oct. 19, a day before the full marathon.
The Kids Marathon is open to those between the ages of 6 and 13. Participants will have until Oct. 18, to complete the first 25.2 miles of the race, whether they walk or run those miles. They will need to track their progress by downloading a log sheet from the marathon’s website. On Oct. 19,, they will tackle their last marathon mile near the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and receive medals and have official times.
