wow.

Ready, Set, Run! program instilling confidence and healthy habits in children across the country

View All News Stories Fun…exciting…challenging. These are words children across the country have used to describe their running experiences with Ready, Set, Run! But for Owen Leander, 8, of Riverside, Ill., he simply says, “Running is just part of life.” To some, Owen may have seemed an unlikely candidate for long distance running. He was born with a multicystic kidney and it no longer functions. He was also born with tracheal esophageal fistula, which means his esophagus wasn’t connected to his stomach, and instead was connected to his trachea. Owen underwent major surgery on his esophagus at five days old, and that was just the beginning. He has gone through five additional surgeries and does vest therapy each day to help him clear his lungs and prevent pneumonia. Despite all that Owen has always loved to run. “Ever since he was little and could walk Owen has been running everywhere,” says Katie Leander, Owen’s mom. “I would always joke that he was my little Forrest Gump. If you let Owen go, how far would he go?” At 5-years-old, Owen completed his first 5k. “He ran the whole thing,” Katie said. “I was blown away. It never occurred to me that he would finish it.” Concerned about her son’s pulmonary issues, Leander immediately called both Owen’s pediatrician and pulmonologist to get clearance on Owen’s new interest. They OK’d running under some ground rules, like avoiding a structured training regimen and to just let Owen pace himself. “Isn’t it kind of weird that this kid, of all kids, loves to run long distances?” Leander once asked Owen’s pulmonologist. She recalls her total shock at the doctor’s response: “No. I find it no accident that Owen loves to run. It’s the best thing that he can do to naturally keep his lungs strong and clear. I think, instinctively, this is his body’s natural way of keeping him healthy.” Owen didn’t mind being the youngest kid among a sea of adults at the 5ks he ran. However, after Owen outpaced his parents on a run last summer, his mother realized he was ready to run with peers . “It was really time for him to run with kids his age and have a professional give him some guidance,” she said. CHARACTER DEVELOPER Ready, Set, Run!, a program of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS), prepares children ages 8-13 to run a 5k in 12 weeks. Most children that take part in the program are not like Owen. They do not have a few years of running under their belt when they enroll. Nonetheless, each child – regardless of level or skill – benefits through its play-based activities that accompany a character development curriculum focusing on topics like confidence, self-esteem, respecting authority, dealing with peer pressure and nutrition. One of the games in the curriculum, for example, is Line Runs. The children jog in a line and the last runner in line has to run to the front of the line, passing alongside the group. Games like this are well received by youngsters on the track because they feel more like play than stamina building exercises. “Owen really liked playing all of the running games. The variety really kept his interest and made it fun,” said Leander. “It was really satisfying for him to match a time to his effort. He took pride in his time.” Owen’s goal is eventually to complete a 5k in 15 minutes. His mother says he also wants to join the junior high track team in a few years, and eventually the cross country team in high school. “More than anything, I think Ready Set, Run! has made him realize that there are other kids like him out there, and I think that has really solidified his love of running,” said Leander.