This Sunday, hundreds of children are the protagonists of a race that seeks to plant the seed so that new generations can get involved at an early age in the practice of running and achieve goals of excellence inspired by dedication and effort.
Children between the ages of 2 and 18 from all the city’s counties are expected to participate in the Rising NYRR Kids event, which will have various distances and will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Central Park.
The initiative is led by Germán Martínez and Elías Cruz, who are the result of the mentor training process that the New York Road Runners (NYRR) promotes to spread the practice of sport as a healthy lifestyle among New Yorkers.
Their input has been crucial in the development of the Rising New York Road Runners program, which marks the start of the week of events leading up to the New York City Marathon, which will take place on November 5.
Leadership and awareness
Germán Martínez has dedicated his life to youth and sports. He believes that he has been lucky to be able to work with leaders and role models who taught him the importance of integrity and dedication, and he applies that in his daily life.
The NYRR was only known for the New York Marathon, once it was established as a non-profit entity, it created the foundation focused on helping the community.
“I was one of the pioneers in the area of community impact where we emphasize the long-term physical and emotional development of children and adolescents, for whom we have created specific events depending on their level,” says Germán, who is a father. of two daughters.
He was born in New York and when he was one year old, his parents took him to Colombia and he returned at 18 after finishing high school. In order to cover university expenses, Germán started working in hotels and that effort led him to obtain two master’s degrees in Sports Management and Training, which today make him an expert in the area; In 2002 NYRR gave him the opportunity, since then 21 years have passed.
“Our work is to go to vulnerable communities in the city, in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, and once we identify the areas most in need, we implement the Rising NYRR program. “The majority of our students come from minority communities.”
Germán has been involved in many events and projects, including starting the Youth Jamborees, Track and Field Series, Times Square Kids Run, and Boardwalk Kids Run.
“We follow up with children to identify how they are being offered opportunities to succeed. We have seen how many of our kids manage to go to university, run the marathon, return to work with NYRR and get involved in helping their community as well,” says Germán, who is now director of NYRR youth events.
Finally, Germán urges that more children register and join their parents in the different NYRR programs. During the year more than 30 events take place that are free.
Promoting sport and excellence
From his perspective, Elías Cruz says that his work as a coach at Rising NYRR not only lies in worrying about training runners but also in ensuring that children have a healthy lifestyle and love for sports.
“At least for me, the benefit I find in sport is making friends and working as a team. I can say that the best friends I have, I have made through sports, especially the ones I made during the seventh and eighth grade, and the races we did on the weekends,” says Elias, who is currently a teacher at New School for Leadership and the Arts MS 244.
Elías is proud to have brought the Rising NYRR program to his school. He assures that he wants to show his students that in sports you have to work hard to achieve excellence and then be proud of the goals that are achieved.
“As a coach, I want them to have the opportunity to create healthy relationships, set goals and experience the joy of being part of a team,” says Elías, a native of the Dominican Republic and resident of The Bronx. “The majority are first-generation immigrants, so I speak Spanish with them and their parents so they feel included.”
When he joined Rising New York Road Runners in 2007, Elias says he immediately found a lifelong community and family among his teammates. His coach, Shawanda Weems – who is also a school teacher – was the one who inspired him.
Elías credits NYRR and the sport of running for helping put him on the path to success. Seeing the impact running had on his life when he was young, he decided to become a teacher in his community.
During the pandemic, Elías recalls that his school community faced enormous losses, many students suffered deaths in the family and layoffs of their parents, so that when the students returned to their in-person classes, sports helped them emotionally to overcome these traumas.
“We prepare them on how to have good nutrition, warm-up routines, practices and what they should do during the weekend, but essentially, the idea is for them to have fun, because at the end of the day, they are children and they should enjoy all of them.” the activities in which they can get involved.”
Elías highlights that in his district in the Bronx there are many students who have never run. The first thing they are taught is breathing exercises when it comes to long distances and how to maintain the pace.
“On Sunday we are going to go to Central Park in a large group. It is very important that students from minority families have this opportunity, the mere fact of going to a competition and visiting a new place in the city is a surprise that life gives them and shows them that they have a space beyond their communities.”
According to Elías, parents say that now their children know the difference between hydrating themselves correctly, getting enough sleep to regain energy, and that these are symptoms that the community is also moving forward.
“We see that these changes influence the new generations of Hispanics, African Americans and other minorities. The director of my school is very committed to our programs because he recognizes that they help not only students but families,” he concluded.
The goal is to be physically active
When the New York Road Runners developed the initiative that encourages New York children to run (Rising NYRR Kids), they surely did not think it would have the reach it has achieved: at the moment it serves 137,000 children in the metropolitan area and in some states.
Rising NYRR Kids is a free program that helps young people develop the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life. It has a developmental approach to physical education that focuses on the age, needs and ability of the student, is research-based and consists of games and activities that make it fun to learn the fundamental movement skills that are essential for running. or play most other sports.
According to the NYRR, physical activity has the power to keep families strong physically and mentally, which is why the program includes fun activities and videos for children to practice even when they are at home.
long-term mission
NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through the practice of running. Since 1958, when the organization was founded, it has grown from a local running club to the world’s leading community running organization.
NYRR’s commitment to the city’s five boroughs includes races, virtual races, community events, initiatives and free school programs.
The NYRR’s flagship event is the TCS New York City Marathon.
Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide range of runners, from the world’s best professional athletes to a wide range of competitive, recreational and charity runners.