Vernon elementary students complete marathon goal

On Tuesday, October 29, more than 1,600 students from 36 schools across Connecticut participated in the HMF FitKids in School "Medal Day"- the culmination of weeks of training supported by the Hartford Marathon Foundation. 127 students from Center Road School, Maple Street School and Vernon Center Middle School participated in the event.

Now in its 12th year, the free program for students in elementary and middle school has served about 20,000 students, encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle through running. Students participated in a 6-week training program throughout the fall, then completed their final mile run and received their medal at Tuesday’s celebration in Rentschler Field.

This exciting and high-energy event featured music, announcers and spectators cheering the kids on as they ran. After the race, students received snack bags packed with healthy goodies from Stop & Shop and enjoyed interactive fitness stations including demonstrations by FITE Fit and cool-down with Karla Medina from Sudor Taino.

The HMF FitKids in School program is made possible through the generosity of local partners, including Stop & Shop, Aetna Foundation, United Bank Foundation Connecticut, Newman's Own Foundation, Carry My Brother, Inc., Mountain Dairy, Dole, PopCorners, Karn Couzens & Associates, Inc., Servpro of Newington/Central Hartford and through individual donations from the running community.