On Saturday morning my firm again sponsored the Cowtown Marathon’s wonderful C.A.L.F. Run. I have done this for the past seven years and always love supporting the C.A.L.F. Program. It has been rated as the top running event for children in the country and the Marathon as the best one in Texas and it’s easy to see why.
It was an honor to present the Marathon’s huge check with our fantastic Mayor Betsy Price and board member David Williams.
It was a fun morning. Over 800 school children and adults came to the the Coyote Drive-In first thing to run and walk on the Trinity River with their schools and friends. Party music was blaring and everyone was having a great time. Kids danced the Macarena and ran around. The start line showed how excited they were when the gun went off.
This was the first run for many children. You can see how hard they were running as they approached the finishing line on the very warm morning.
It must have been exciting for them to be called to the front of the crowd and get a medal for being a top runner.
At the same time, older students were busy competing in their own Top Chef-style challenge sponsored by FitWorth. There were teams from eight high schools making healthy meals and learning the importance of healthy eating.
The event served a healthy breakfast and passed out nutritious food after the race. And during the year, the children’s PE teachers and coaches promote healthy eating.
Why CALF is a special program
C.A.L.F. is a clever acronym that stands for Children’s Activities for Life & Fitness. This is its 10th year. This innovative program teaches our school children the invaluable lessons of being physically fit and eating good food. I have served on its council since it was started.
The Marathon officials visit a whopping 400 schools across our area each year to identify children who can benefit from its program. They gives each child a pair of running shoes and pays their fees to run in their own special race during its marathon weekend in late February. Each year, the program gives away 6,000 race registrations and shoes. I’ve seen the excitement on the children’s faces when they are fitted.
This is one of my favorites causes. On a personal note, I run or exercise every day and eat healthy foods so I can be in the best shape possible, so naturally wanting our children to be healthy is one of my favorite causes. I am training to run the marathon again (my 58th).
I also support and mentor the children at the FWISD school I adopted 15 years ago and it was fun to see “my kids.”
C.A.L.F. representatives teach the students how to train for a race including giving tips about running technique, nutrition, hydration, and living an active lifestyle. They give out pedometers, training journals and provide other good support so our children can be as healthy as possible.
Bravo to the Cowtown Marathon, Blue Zones Project, FitWorth and Mayor Price for promoting fitness and fighting obesity.
Mayor Price impressively ran the 5K and is a huge supporter of physical fitness and nutrition in our city. She is amazing. She has run one of the races every year almost since Cowtown was started in 1979 and ran the half marathon last year. She started FitWorth, conducts town halls on bicycles, rides in the Tour de Fort Worth, and was named as the most cycling-friendly mayor in the U.S. last year.
And congrats to the Marathon for starting a fantastic training program to help all runners, from those wanting to finish their first 5K to experienced marathoners wanting to PR. Our first run is Saturday at 7:00 a.m. Please join us! I am honored that I was asked to coach a marathon group and some of the top runners in town are on the coaching team. More info is here.
Please consider making a contribution to C.A.L.F. by clicking here.
