This year, Teens Run DC signed up 20 students. Next year we hope to expand to 50. In addition to our Running Leaders, we will add Individual Mentors, committed to those students needing greater individual attention.
The kids are here. We’re bringing on mentors. Now, we are limited only by funds. Make a difference in a young person’s life and DONATE to Teens Run DC. See what your dollars can do.
Teens Run DC empowers at-risk youth to envision and work towards the achievement of personal goals through an adult mentoring and distance running program. Over the course of nine months, TRDC Running Leaders, Mentors, and Friends challenge and guide these youth to develop the skills necessary to achieve their running goals and their life goals.
WHAT’S NEW
July 2010 It’s summertime, and the weather is hot and humid. While we have had a couple of running leader organized runs, most of us have been running on our own, a little slower, a little easier.
TRDC staff and volunteers are busy preparing for the 2010-11 academic year. We are recruiting running leaders and mentors and seeking funding from both public and private sectors. We are excited to expand our program this next year to include three new schools. In addition to Wilson HS (NW), we are pleased to be working with Cardozo HS (NW), Stuart Hobson Middle School 8th graders (NE), and Thurgood Marshall Academy (SE). As we gather together for our monthly community-wide weekend long runs or for one of our regular races, Teens Run DC will be a sight to behold and a force to be reckoned with as we run 100 strong between students, running leaders, and individual mentors.
In order to be more inclusive of all potential students who might join our program, including those who are more physically fit and those who are less active, we have developed a two training tracks – with one track leading to completion of the National Half-Marathon as our culminating event and a second track leading to the completion of one or several 10K races. Only those students who have participated in Teens Run DC more than one year and who shown the necessary steadiness in their practice will be permitted to run the full marathon.
Whether you are in the fast lane or just starting with a slow walk-run around the track, TRDC will meet you where you land. We guarantee that by committing to running, you will make a new commitment to your life. Ultimately, our hope and goal is to expand our distance running and mentoring program to include all secondary school students and teens throughout the greater Washington area who have the interest and motivation to take charge of their lives one step at a time.
TRDC as research lab
This past spring, we began a collaboration with George Washington University’s Schools of Public Health, Education, and Psychology so that we might not only develop a stronger program, but also develop a model for best practices in youth mentoring. As such, Teens Run DC will be engaged in various research activities as we evaluate those aspects of our program that lead to success among our students”.
March 20, 2010. The National Marathon. What a great race. What a great day. The weather was a welcomed change and seemed a just reward after this most difficult winter of training. Today,
- 7 students and 5 teachers ran the marathon;
- 5 students and 2 teachers ran the half-marathon;
- 2 students and one teacher ran the relay.
Today, everyone was brilliant. We had 22 students and teacher/mentors running, and 22 complete. That’s 100% success. That’s vision and perseverance. The truth, however, is that whether we met our goal this particular day or not, we were winners every day we showed up for practice and acted on our vision. We were winners as those who finished earlier enthusiastically cheered and accompanied those who finished later, encouraging their teammates towards their best effort.
Today was important, not in itself, but in that it reflected the commitment and work we did these past months — the miles run, the waking early Saturday mornings, the running through sleet and snow. Our success is sweet, but made so by our great efforts to get to this moment, individually and as a team.
As one of our student marathoners wrote of her experience – “…I learned that I can set a concrete, attainable goal and follow through with it. It really gave me a true sense of accomplishment to cross that finish line.”
Congratulations to our marathoners: Lena Carleton, Dagnechew Dagne, David Escobar, Charlotte Frazier, Emily Gore, Emma Israel, Ellie Sarnoff, Nicole Adair, Christina Sfekas, Sara Sousa, Amy Wopat, Ben Forman.
Congratulations to our half-marathoners: Carrie Hutchinson, Jessica Jones, Meili Liu, Jamal Pierre, Biruk Shifarew, Simmona Gerhardt, Alex Wilson.
Congratulations to our half-marathon relay team: Hassan Asraful, Beatrix Limjap, and Belle Belew.
We are basking in our accomplishment – a little weary, but very proud.