Active SWV’s Kids Creative Contest gives kids in West Virginia an opportunity to run the iconic Bridge Day 5k RUN for free. Each year, kids under 18 are invited to submit a short essay or pieces of art inspired by prompts about being active, Bridge Day, and a healthier West Virginia.
This year, we had five youth winners! Each winner received two free entries into the race, so they can run and experience the Bridge Day 5k RUN with a friend or family member.
Meet the winners below!
Monrae Zebo
My name is Monrae Zebo, and I am 12 years old. I live in Wyoming County, West Virginia. I enjoy making art that shows the places I love and the nature around me. One of my favorite places in West Virginia is the New River Gorge, and I like to include it in my artwork because it is beautiful and fun to explore. I like to draw and create art that shows what West Virginia means to me.
Art Prompt: What does a more active West Virginia look like to you?
A more active West Virginia looks like kids and families playing outside together, riding bikes, hiking, and playing sports. It looks like safe parks, fun playgrounds, and places where everyone can be active and healthy. I think being active helps people feel happier and enjoy the beautiful outdoors that West Virginia has. That is why I chose to create a picture of the New River Gorge. It is one of my favorite places in West Virginia because it is a great place to hike, explore nature, and spend time outside with family and friends.
Mikey Antolini
Mikey Antolini, 9 years old Raleigh County
Essay Prompt: What motivates you to be physically active? Why do you want to participate in the Bridge Day 5k RUN?
My name is Mikey Antolini. I live in Beckley, WV Raleigh County. I have 2 sisters and 1 little brother. I am 9 years old and going into the 4th grade. I love to play all sports, but my favorites are basketball and soccer and I love to run. I want to run the Bridge Day 5k because I think it would be awesome to run across the longest bridge I have ever seen. We drive across this bridge a lot to get to our cabins, but it would be so awesome to get to run across it. I started running a couple years ago but within the last year have started running 5k’s with my parents. My Mom and Dad really motivated me to run. They run together all over the world and One day I hope to do the same with them. I think it is really cool that our state has so many races close to where I live. This race is special because of the bridge. There isn’t anywhere else in the world that you can run over a bridge like this with the beautiful mountains around you. I’m hoping to have this memory with my parents although I am still hoping to beat them but really I just try to race against myself and my previous times so I can get better with each race. Can’t wait to run the Bridge Day 5k.
Liam Allen
Liam Allen, 8 years old, Raleigh County
Art Prompt: What does a more active West Virginia look like to you?
A more active West Virginia looks like paddle boarding at Lake Stephens with my mom. It was fun and I knocked my mom off the paddle board.
Lilyann Turner
My name is Lilyann Jessa Turner. I am 14 years old. I live in Mercer County, WV. I attend PikeView High School and run Cross Country. I love trail runs, hiking, chasing waterfalls, fishing, and archery.
Essay Prompt: What motivates you to be physically active? Why do you want to participate in the Bridge Day 5k RUN?
The moment my spikes hit the dirt, the noise from the school day just shuts off. Between classes, homework, and regular teenage drama, my head can feel completely crowded. Out on the course, all of that drops away until it’s just my breathing and the sound of my shoes chewing through dirt. I have scoliosis, so my back has an extra curve in it that likes to ache after a long week. Sometimes my balance feels a little tilted or my muscles pull tighter on one side, but I don’t let that bench me. Crossing the finish line knowing my spine had to work twice as hard to get me there actually makes every race feel ten times better. A couple of miles in, right when my lungs start burning, something shifts. The heavy feeling in my legs just disappears, and it honestly feels like running on air. Our trails wind through the mountains and hollows of southern West Virginia, through all the damp leaves, steep clay cuts, and creek gravel. Coming around a bend and seeing the mist hanging over the valley while my pace locks in is an incredible feeling. It’s hard work, but mostly it’s where I go to feel completely strong in my own skin.
Gracelyn Faith Turner
My name is Gracelyn Turner. I am 12, but I’m about to turn 13. I am in the 7th grade at PikeView Middle in Mercer County.
Essay Prompt: What motivates you to be physically active? Why do you want to participate in the Bridge Day 5k RUN?
When I was little, I had to have a lot of surgeries on my right arm and hand because I was born with Erb’s palsy. Going to the hospital and doing physical therapy over and over just to get a little bit of movement wasn’t easy, but honestly, the hardest part was school. Kids can be really mean when your body doesn’t move like everyone else’s. People stare, whisper, and make jokes, and for a long time, their words made me feel small. The place where all of that finally goes quiet is outside. When I’m out walking, running, hiking, or swimming in the hills, nobody is standing there judging me. Nature doesn’t care that my arm looks different or that my hand doesn’t do everything other hands can do. The trees and trails just let me breathe and leave the bad days behind. Running across the New River Gorge Bridge for the Bridge Day 5K isn’t just about finishing a race for me. It’s about standing up tall. I want to cross that finish line to show other kids with disabilities that having limitations doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines. We can still be strong, stay active, push through hard things, and enjoy every single bit of our home in Almost Heaven, West Virginia. If I can do it, they can too.
KIDS RUN CLUB CHAMPIONS
Email Active SWV’s Development Director Jenni Canterbury at info@activeswv.com to find out how to become the next Kids Run Club Champion!