Fun Run keeps kids moving

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• Gallery: 20th Annual Prichard Fun Run

PRICHARD -- Eleven-year-old Tyler Valdez had no trouble staying ahead of the pack on Friday, as he came in first place in the 20th annual Fun Run at Prichard Elementary.

About 50 fourth- and fifth-graders competed in the two-mile run around their school, competing for trophies and medals. An alumni race followed.

"It was fun. I feel good about it," Valdez said.

Valdez said one of his main goals was to beat his mother's record, which he did, coming in at 13 minutes, 53 seconds.

"I couldn't catch him," said his father, Michael Valdez, who started the race a little late and said he had a hard time keeping up with his son.

Tyler Valdez's mother, Kathi Valdez, won the school's first-ever Fun Run years ago. She said winning was a family tradition, with all of her siblings going on to win, too. On Friday, Kathi Valdez ran in the alumni race with two others in her family.

Michael Valdez said the annual race is great.

"All schools should do this," he said.

Fifth-grader Savannah Fox, 10, also beat her record on Friday, coming in at 20 minutes, 21 seconds. Before the race, she said she was excited but nervous.

Fox said she was glad Prichard Elementary has kept the Fun Run going for 20 years.

"I think it's really awesome," she said. "It's not what other schools get to do."

Karen Webb (formerly "Mrs. C") was one of the handful of teachers who started the Fun Run 20 years ago. She and former teacher Mike Gray and current teacher Margaret Miller reunited at the event.

"We think it's fabulous that it's still going on. We started it 20 years ago just for fun for something for the kids to do," Webb said.

"It's wonderful. It's hard to keep anything going for 20 years," Gray said.

Webb said keeping the run alive is especially important considering the region's frequent portrayal as one of the unhealthiest in the nation.

Susan Thacker, who walked in the alumni race and has a child in kindergarten at Prichard, said childhood obesity is a definite reason to keep the race going.

"There's a big difference in kids from back then and kids today. We need to keep them active," she said.

Del. Don Perdue, D-Wayne, walked and ran in the race on Friday. He applauded the school's achievements in implementing and expanding the race.

"Twenty years ago they recognized that our children needed to have more activity in their lives," he said.

Perdue's son, Sean Perdue, has the record to beat at Prichard. He tied with another fifth grader years ago, setting the record at 13 minutes, 6 seconds. He still has a photo of the race finish, and he said he was happy to return to his alma mater Friday to see the race going strong.

"It's one of the few events when you actually know you're going to get the kids out doing something," he said. "It's fantastic."

He said the event is a great way for kids to step out of sedentary lifestyles.

Britanni Mills, the 2009 Miss West Virginia United States, also spoke at the event and encouraged the kids.

"I understand that texting and video games and television is a lot of fun," she said. "But this is an awesome event, (too)."

The Fun Run shows kids they can be active and even go for a run around their own homes, said Melissa Adkins, one of the children's parents. She said the event is the "highlight" of the students' year.

"It really promotes physical activity for them," she said. "A lot of these kids once they go home, that's it. They're on the couch."

Her daughter, 11-year-old Abbie Adkins, said she'd been practicing with classmates and looking forward to the race for weeks.

"I think it's awesome," she said.

Widespread support was evident Friday, as few places to park could be found near the school that morning. Friends, family and alumni gathered to cheer each other on while taking photos and videos of the race.

"The community really supports it," Thacker said. "The people in the neighborhood know when it's coming and they start watching for it. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Fourth and fifth grade students take off from the starting line as they participate in the 20th Annual Fun Run on Friday, May 29, 2009, at Prichard Elementary School.