Students on the GO!

Beginning in mid-January, as high school students were easing back into the second semester, a small group of UCHS students started running. Two miles at first and gradually working up to longer runs three days a week after school. After a few weeks, the running group from UCHS started meeting with students from nine other area high schools for long runs in Forest Park on Saturday mornings – eventually working up to an 11-mile Saturday morning run. These were Students on the Go! Students with a goal of completing the Go! St. Louis Half
Marathon.

Students on the GO! is a program designed to train high school students to run or walk (or a combination of both!) the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon each April. Students embark on a personal journey of self-discovery where they explore and experience the lifelong benefits of a comprehensive health and fitness program. At UCHS, teachers Carol Hackmeyer, Liza Harkins, and Brian Ashley coordinated, coached, and encouraged the student runners.

There were also material incentives as well. As they progressed in their training, students were given running gear to benefit their running, including running shoes, running jacket, and a technical running shirt (for us non-runners that is a lightweight shirt that transfers moisture away from the skin to keep runners dry and comfortable).

In its second year, just over 200 students completed the Students on the GO! training – 15 were from UCHS. On the Friday evening before the big event, all of the metro area Students on the Go! and their families gathered at UCHS for a pasta dinner (great carbo loading) and some words of wisdom from some of the elite runners in town to compete for the $10,000 top prize for the half marathon. What a treat for the kids to meet Mattie Suver who went on to win the women’s half marathon title, setting a new course record with 1:12:22.

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