Area Youth Take the Fitness Challenge

In January, the City of New London's Mayor Passero called on all children who live in or attend school in New London to join the Mayor's Youth Fitness Initiative (MYfi) Challenge to combat childhood and adult obesity. Six of the schools took the challenge- Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School, Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School, C.B. Jennings Dual Language & International Elementary Magnet, Early Childhood Center at Harbor School, Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School, and ISAAC School. Students were given passports to document their completed challenges in fitness & nutrition. Students earned points and were awarded with fun prizes weekly.

To take the challenge one step further, each school created a MYFi afterschool team. For the past six weeks, these teams have been training to compete in a youth duathlon, Proud to "DU" It. The big event is this weekend. Currently there are close to 300 youth participating in the event and 50% of those are New London students! Depending on their age, the youth will run 0.5-1.0 miles, bike 1.0-4.0 miles, and run again for 0.5-1.0 miles. They will race independently and be professionally timed. For many, this will be the first time they compete in a race.

New London Recreation, with the help of Norwich Recreation, Ledyard Parks & Recreation, Groton Parks & Recreation, Salem Recreation and Colchester Recreation, invite you to celebrate our youth who have stepped up to the challenge. We know that physical activity is crucial for good health and it is especially important for children if they are to grow into healthy adults. Allowing children to experience a competition where they can get fit, have fun, and challenge themselves is inspiring. Our hope is that these youth will continue to lead healthy lifestyles. The Proud to “DU” It event is the first of a three-series race called the “Triple Crown”. The second event is the Norwich Splash & Dash youth aquathon on June 17^th and the third event is the Proud to “TRI” youth triathlon at Camp Harkness on September 9^th. There will be a special recognition for the youth who accomplish all three events for the “Triple Crown”.

New London High School & Bates Woods Park

Race starts 9:00AM.

Entry fee: $15 per child, $55 for Triple Crown plus $10 for USAT member (only if needed). Register by April 13 to guarantee race t-shirt& personalized bib. Walk-in Registrations will be accepted.

For more information or to register, please visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/NewLondon/ProudtoDUIt

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