The New York Road Runners (NYRR) Youth and Community Serivces is a branch of New York Road Runners that promote children's fitness, character development and personal achievement by bringing free running programs to schools and community centers. They offer several fitness and running programs for kids around New York City.

NYRR's Mighty Milers program teaches kids why running and walking are good for their bodies and spirit. Kids of all fitness levels and abilities learn to walk or run a half-mile, two to five times a week. They set goals, track them, and once kids reach their goals, they get incentives!  Collectively, kids have run over 2-million miles since the beginning of the program, which now operates in every state.

Mighty Milers is an easy-to-implement youth running program for schools and community centers to use designed for kids of all fitness levels. Children who participate aim to complete 1-4 "marathons of miles" (26.2 miles - 104.8 miles) over the course of a program cycle (from September through June). The program is flexible so individual schools can tailor the program to meet their needs and environment. Best of all you don't need someone trained in health or physical education to be in charge of it or all of the money to support it! NYRR gives financial, logistical and training support to the program sites, so any staff member or adult volunteer can run the program at a school or community center.

Students involved in the Mighty Milers program are tracked using an online database that automatically sends them awards when they reach certain milestones such as a membership card when they run 5 miles or a "marathon of miles" medal when they reach 26.2 miles. Awards and events keep kids motivated, but the excitement and fun of being active and reaching fitness goals with a team of friends is often the best reward!

Mighty Milers is free to schools that have fifty percent or more of their students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch. Even if your school doesn't have a physical education teacher, the Mighty Milers program can help students learn about the healthy benefits of walking and running.

For more information about the program and how to sign your school up, visit the Mighty Milers website or contact Laura Paulus at lpaulus@nyrr.org.

Part of the Mighty Milers program also gives a free fitness lesson plan to teachers, which brings the idea of fitness into math, literacy, science art and physical activity lessons. Download the free pdf documents here.