Fairdale Elementary School Run Club, powered by Active Southern West Virginia, completed its first session on October 25th, 2016
Led by passionate head coaches, Laura Ayers, Fairdale parent, and Carla Ayers-Mollahan, Liberty High School Cross Country coach, and with the additional support of many faculty volunteers, Fairdale was able to manage 50+ participants in their run club. The group practiced weekly for 6 weeks and learned warm-up and cool-down techniques as well as many fun running games.
Their fun run was a special event, which was included in the school’s Fall Celebration Week. Early in the week, the students were able to decorate pumpkins and bring them to school, lining the halls with creative pumpkins that represented the students’ favorite books. They also had school-wide costume parade.
On Tuesday of the Fall Celebration Week, the run club participants got to invite their friends and families to take part in their season ending fun run, recognizing their weeks of training and hard work.
The Fairdale Elementary Run Club families didn’t just cheer for the kids, but they joined in on the fun and ran or walked alongside the runners.
Parents and siblings were able to support each other during the run and then celebrate together after they crossed the finish line.
When asked why she wanted to start a run club at Fairdale and why so many kids signed up, Head Coach, Carla Ayers, explained, “Our school just needed something for the kids who don’t get to participate in other things. We had over 50 kids show up on the first day. They just want to be active and have fun. They want to be a part of something.”
The Fairdale Elementary Club was made possible through support from the Beckley Area Foundation and a sponsorship from Ricks Supermarket.
