Emphasis on attitude and working hard

There is more than just winning and losing. There is being healthy. And working hard to improve. And, most importantly, just having fun. That is the philosophy of the Healthy Kids Running Series — Norwalk, which kicked off its fifth season with the first of five races Sunday at Sofios Park in Norwalk. Started by Frank and Jill Van Dresser in Norwalk, the series sets up races for children ages 2 through the eighth grade. "Where can you find something like this for kids who like to run," Frank Van Dresser said. "We did some research and found Healthy Kids Running Series. It is very structured. At the time they have 175 races across the country. The closest one for us at the time was in Medina." The Van Dressers, at the time, had three children old enough to compete. "They had one left, signed them up and our three oldest kids ran," he said. "They had a blast. It was well run. We came back excited in the spring and went back to Medina in 2018 and ran all five races. "We thought Norwalk had a real need for this. We felt if we could get something like this in Norwalk we would be the ones to do it." The first local race was in the spring of 2019 when 180 competed. The second season, the fall of 2019, saw the numbers dip a bit to 150. "In the fall there are a lot of other sports you are competing against," Van Dresser said. "A little more challenging in the fall. And it was a real wet season and Sofios Park was really muddy that season." As it turned out, the wet weather was just the beginning of the tough times. Next came the pandemic. The 2020 spring season was run virtually with 69 youngsters competing, then this past fall the numbers jumped to 125. Now, Van Dresser said, it is back to normal, whatever normal is these days. "To be COVID safe we had to break the races down into heats," he said. All of the races are age-appropriate with girls vs. girls and boys vs. boys: • 2 and 3-year-olds — 50-yard dash. • 4 and 5-year-olds — 75-yard dash. • Kindergarten and first graders — quarter mile. • Second and third graders — half mile. • Fourth and fifth graders — mile. • Sixth through eighth graders — mile. "Just an opportunity to get kids excited about being active and healthy," Van Dresser said. "There is a competitive element. There will be trophies awarded at the end of the season. Everything a quarter mile and up is timed. The emphasis is on improvement. Everybody can go out and get a little better each week whether you are in first place or last place. "This is promoting positive. No place for cheating or poor sportsmanship. We really encourage supporting each other. We even had a special needs kid-run yesterday (Sunday) in the 50-yard-dash and everybody cheered him and encouraged him." Five-year-old Jaxen Collins was the runner and finished with "ear-to-ear smiles when he crossed the finish line," Van Dresser said. More than just the children competing, Van Dresser said it is a real family affair. "It's a real special place and we have met a lot of great people," he said. "We have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 volunteers. They help us set it up then break it down five weeks in a row, two seasons a year. We are very blessed with our volunteers and sponsors. "This community has been so receptive. They have about 300 races like this around the country and we hear a lot of horror stories. We realize how blessed we are to make this race what it is." The Van Dresser family has grown since that first race in Medina with five children — ages 10, 9, 7, 4 and 11 months. "I've got a basketball team (two boys and three girls) and I will have to wait for the bench," Van Dresser said with a chuckle. "I have four kids and five, six or seven nieces and nephews running. It's almost like a family reunion for many families." Along with the trophies handed out in the end to the top finishers, Van Dresser said the "Healthy Kid Award" is given to the person for having the right attitude and is working hard. "Distances are age-appropriate," he said. "It takes them to the brink and to be able to mentally push through that and finish ... coming down that 100-yard chute makes you feel like you are at a big-time race. Watch week five compared to week one and you will be amazed how much these kids improve. Some of them will go home and run between the meets. It is great to watch. "My favorite part is watching kids build their confidence and have an overall positive attitude. In five seasons we have actually had parents say their kids have shifted their gears from other sports to track or cross country. It's neat that we had that kind of influence." The second of five races is set for 4 p.m. Sunday at Sofios Park. To sign up and register or to search results from around the country you can log onto HealthyKidsRunningSeries.org. Joe Centers is Reflector managing editor. He can be reached at jcenters@norwalkreflector.com.