25-Week Program Helped Students, Teachers Complete Marathon

This year’s IMT Des Moines Marathon races had a record number of 8,413 entrants. Among them were 16 DMPS students, along with a recent graduate and two teachers, who completed Sunday’s marathon. They trained for their first-ever marathon through the Iowa Kidstrong’s See-Us Run Des Moines program.

The students, who attend Roosevelt unless otherwise noted, who completed the marathon are:

  • Rachel Challender, senior (TRHS/Future Pathways)
  • Jori Jones, junior
  • Keeghan Corcoran, junior
  • Eleanor Davenport, senior
  • Travis Dredske, sophomore
  • Nhat Duong, junior
  • Nhi Duong, senior
  • Ray Edwards, junior
  • Sam Elsbernd, sophomore
  • Ollivia Enos, junior
  • Brittany Nguyen, freshman
  • Tyler Gilbreath, senior (Hoover)
  • Jordan Rhodes, senior
  • Jane Rice, freshman
  • Adrienne Robinson, junior
  • Asana Zilk, junior

Max Rice, a 2012 Roosevelt graduate, also participated in the program and served as a “junior mentor” for the marathoners. In addition, two Roosevelt teachers – Emily Bollinger, Heather Carman – also took part in the program and completed the marathon.

Des Moines School Board member Cindy Elsbernd founded Iowa Kidstrong in 2005 in response to the issue of childhood obesity. In 2010, Iowa Kidstrong launched See-Us Run Des Moines, a school-centered, non-competitive 25-week program that challenges teens to train for and complete a 26.2 mile marathon.

See-Us Run Des Moines relies on a corps of dedicated volunteers who run with the students after school and through the summer months. It features a progressive training schedule to take participating students from mile zero beginning in mid-April all the way through completion of the Des Moines Marathon in October. The training program is designed to do so in the least overwhelming way possible. During the training season, the students commit to train three times a week after school and at 7:00 a.m. during summer break, and on the weekend they come together along with the adult volunteers for a longer run in area neighborhoods and on local trails. Along the way, students also participate in races around the community of varying distances building toward the marathon, giving them experience with running events, keeping them engaged in the program, and giving them the opportunity to interact with others in a positive way.

Based at Roosevelt High School, the See-Us Run Des Moines is open to individuals from all Des Moines Public Schools. For more information, visit iowakidstrong.com.

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