Spokane, WA—Elementary schools in the region have begun signing up for the Fit for Bloomsday…Fit for Life youth fitness program, and Bloomsday organizers are expecting a great response again this year. Before the entry deadline of Monday, January 26th, over 60 schools are expected to sign up, with nearly 6,000 kids participating in the ten-week running and walking program.
“Winter conditions may look daunting at the moment,” said Bloomsday Board member Jeff Reed, Chair of the Fit for Bloomsday Committee, “but in a few weeks there’ll be thousands of younsters in the region running, jogging, and walking to get in shape as part of the Fit For Bloomsday program. The national news about youth fitness is often discouraging, but this program continues to have an impact on the fitness of children in the Inland Northwest.”
Fit For Bloomsday…Fit For Life—dubbed Fit For Bloomsday for short—was developed by Bloomsday volunteers in cooperation with PE instructors, coaches and parents in the Spokane area. The Lilac Bloomsday Association provides information, materials, structure and incentives for the 8-10 week program, which is administered by school personnel and volunteers at participating schools. Now in its 23rd year, the program prepares the kids to run or walk Bloomsday while teaching them the importance of fitness, nutrition and safety.
Schools can sign up for Fit for Bloomsday by downloading an application form from Bloomsday’s web site (www.bloomsdayrun.org) and returning it to the Bloomsday office by January 26th. Kids and adults who want to sign-up for the 33rd annual Lilac Bloomsday Run can register online now at www.bloomsdayrun.org.
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