May 4, 2010
Order of Finish -- Results By Grade
NATIONAL RUN A MILE DAYª was a youth and adult fitness event sponsored by the American Running Association. The goal of the RUN A MILE event was to celebrate the mile and encourage people of all ages, especially children from elementary to middle school ages, to participate in running the mile. NATIONAL RUN A MILE DAYª was designed to be a festive event that promoted the message that running can be fun and that it is an important aspect of overall health, fitness and well-being.
The mile has been a standard of track and field for over 100 years. The mile is a measure of fitness in the Presidential Fitness Award by the President’s Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports. All the branches of the military run the mile and some to measure the fitness levels
of the men and women in uniform. ARA and Youth Runner share the same commitment as military branches
and the President’s Council: get more Americans physically active and fit. The National RUN A MILE DAY™ is
one step in the process to a encourage more walking and running by boys and girls.
Roger Bannister showed the world in 1954 that the 4 minute mile was not a barrier. He broke through that
barrier on May 6 of that year. To this day, the sub 4 minute mile is a cherished achievement by male runners
worldwide. ARA honors Sir Roger Bannister’s achievement on RUN A MILE DAY. His tenacity and commitment
to challenge a perceived impenetrable barrier can be a lesson for anyone facing a seemingly out of reach goal.
During the regularly scheduled gym class, students of the Grove City Middle School were given the opportunity to walk, jog and/or run four laps of the high school track. ChampionChip timing technology was used to count and record the laps of each student. A computer chip was attached to the shoe and as each runner crossed a special mat at the end of each lap, the times were automatically recorded. Upbeat music was played during the event to help promote the festive atmosphere and encourage the goal of "just having fun" while running.
All finishers will receive a certificate with their time for each lap on it. The event was coordinated by S. Mark Courtney, Board of Director of the American Medical Athletic Association in cooperation with PE teachers Mr. Jeff Lumley and Mrs. Rita Stewart..
Almost 320 students participated in the event, logging just short of 315 miles. A person burns approximately 100 calories per mile while running, so 31,200 calories were cumulatively burned. There are approximately 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so this means that a total of 9 pounds of "pure human energy" were burned during this event.