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Florida Students Participate in 12-Week Marathon Challenge
Approximately 650 students in Jacksonville, Fla., have completed the Shannon Miller Kids Marathon, a 12-week program that promotes physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices, First Coast News reports. Created by the nonprofit Shannon Miller Foundation and led by Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon Miller, the program challenged students ages 7 to 12 to walk or run 25 miles in 12 weeks. At the culmination of the 12 weeks, the students participated in a 1.2 mile run to complete the 26.2 miles of a standard marathon. Participants received gold medals and participated in a post-race celebration. In addition, John Stockton Elementary School and the Jacksonville chapter of the nonprofit Police Athletic League, which together registered the greatest number of children for the challenge, each received $500 from the Sheriff's Fitness Challenge for their physical education department and fitness related programming, respectively (Roy/Crews, First Coast News, 5/30/09; Shannon Miller Foundation Web site, 5/31/09).