A Run for their money: Bagley Jogathon puts kids’ energy to work

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(2 Comments) October 5, 2010 at 8:58PM

Warming up to the battle theme from “Star Wars,” and cooling down with “Chariots of Fire,” the Daniel Bagley (7821 Stone Ave N) student body logged a collective total of 11,154 playground laps Friday (Oct. 1, 2010) in the school’s annual Jogathon. That’s 1183 miles – had they run in a relay, they could have made it to Albuquerque, NM.

In just 50 minutes, the 350+ kids blasted past the 10,000-lap goal set by Health and Fitness instructor/guru Chuck Milsap for the school’s kid-powered fundraiser. The temporary tracks were roughly 10 laps/mile for the upper grades and 9 laps/mile for Kindergarten and first-graders kids. Walking and water breaks were encouraged. Parent volunteers punched runners’ cards at every lap.

Smells Like Team Spirit

Although their efforts added no pledge funds, many staffers and parents anted up their hamstrings and ran. Some parents held hands with their kids, and others ran solo because their kids were too cool to be seen with their Mom. (I didn’t mind, really.) One mom jogged, very gingerly, with an infant on her back.

Photo Credit: Michelle Caulfield

Others went above and beyond. Since the bee is the Bagley mascot, there were three fully-costumed bees – two grown-up parents, in golden makeup and wings, and one larva: this was baby Milsap, who likely had little choice in the matter, but was killer cute.

Last but not least, there was the caped crusader, Principal Anitra Pinchback-Jones, who ran swathed in red from cape to tights, sharply accessorized with a shining tiara.

Parent Debby Bacharach goes the extra mile as a Bagley Bee | Photo Credit: Shaun Rose

Principal Anitra Pinchback-Jones inspires the hive | Photo Credit: Shaun Rose

Chuck Milsap DJ’d the foot-pumping tunes, announcing requests like “This one goes out to room 202! I’m seeing some cups on the ground – make sure those get into the trash bins…listen to your body…take breaks when you need to.” Soon after that announcement, a girl was seen picking a cup off the ground mid-stride.

Local sponsors, including PCC Greenlake, Old Mill Bread Co., the Ballard Safeway, Mighty-O Donuts, Greenwood Market, and Ken’s Market joined parents Steve and Laura Mitchell in providing lunch for staff and 80+ parent volunteers.

The kids’ energy seemed bottomless. Even after 30 minutes, kids were still racing each other, jumping, and weaving through the crowd effortlessly. My two boys, who complain about walking half a mile to school, pulled off four miles each.

So the next time your kids break out the “whine” when you suggest walking to the library, think again before caving.

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Read more My Green Lake articles written by Erica Browne Grivas, freelance journalist for hire.

Check out Erica’s blog In the Details for her garden adventures.

Author: Erica Browne Grivas

Location: North Green Lake