ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Long before the bell rings to signal the start of school, a group of elementary students at Keswick Christian School begins their day by running laps around the gymnasium.

What You Need To Know

  • Keswick Christian School's Run Club meets twice a week before school starts

  • Students run and walk laps around the school's gymnasium

  • Laps are measured in miles with the goal of running the equivalent of a marathon, and several students have already reached marathon status since the start of the school year

Some of their classmates are still sleeping while they’re running.

“It’s one of my favorite things — I’m really fast,” fourth grader Benjamin Lipscomb said. “And it also takes a lot of dedication.”

Twice a week, these kids run laps for 28 minutes, and they collect proof of hard work with marks on a card. The totals are measured in miles — the goal of the run club is to complete a marathon, an obtainable goal, during the school year.

Some of these runners, like Benjamin, have already joined the marathon club only three months into the school year. These kids are a study in perseverance.

“It’s not easy an easy thing to do, run for 28 minutes straight,” P.E. teacher Jenica Storie said. “And I love seeing them come out every day and doing it.”

But this is more than counting laps and posting results, this is getting kids excited about exercise. Getting kids active, which is a major issue in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects one in five adolescents. So with each lap, these elementary school students add up the miles and build up their self worth.

“No. 1, I love the fact that they are getting those physical activity minutes,” Storie said. “You see trends across the nation right now and just how important movement is.”

Storie participated in Keswick’s Run Club when she was a student at the school. After she graduated and went on to college, the club disbanded.

Storie resurrected it and said she is excited by the enthusiastic participants. Some run at a slow pace. Some walk. Others run like they are racing in the Olympics. There is something for everyone in this run club.

“They’re competitive spirit definitely comes out,” Storie said. “Definitely amongst each other without leader board and everything, but also amongst themselves.”

It’s so much more than tracking laps. It’s so much more than running. These kids are learning about discipline, they’re learning about accountability, about setting a goal and achieving it. And they’re learning how to push themselves to limits they never dreamed they could reach. It’s a great life lesson.

“You learn that hard work sometimes takes time to get your goals and just to show up everyday,” Storie said.