School Marathon Friday October 16th

Beloit and St. John’s Elementary School Marathon

The Grand Finale

By Terry Bailey

The Grand Finale of the first-ever Beloit School Marathon took place on the Beloit track at Trojan Stadium on Friday, October 16. Students from St. John’s and Beloit Elementary gathered at the track to run the final lap in their 26.2 mile undertaking that began on Tuesday, October 8. The participants and their fans were greeted by a wonderful fall morning for the activity.

Approximately 140 students from grades one through six at Beloit Elementary began the journey and 137 completed the marathon for a 98% completion rate. At St. John’s 50 students in grades one through six started and 50 students ended for a 100% completion.

Under the direction of Stephanie Simmons, director of the Mitchell County Foundation, and Liz Fixsen and Jama Budke race coordinators, nearly 200 students from both schools gathered on the track at 8:30 a.m. to complete their journey by running one final lap. The stands were filled with students who did not participate in the activity, parents and supporters.

The celebration began with the first graders running one trip around the track. At the completion of their circuit each student’s name was announced and they were presented with a medal and a T-shirt to commemorate their accomplishment.

Next, the second graders had their time in the spotlight by running their lap and then having their names announced and being presented with their medal and T-shirt.

This pattern continued until the last group, the Beloit Elementary sixth graders, were recognized.

A special award was presented to the Beloit Elementary School teacher whose students had the highest percentage of the students in his or her class as participants. The award was given to Robin Pearson whose class had a fifty percent participation rate. Additionally, Ms. Pearson completed the 26.2 mile joinery herself.

While she did not receive an award, Liz Fixsen finished each race with each grade level of students. About half-way through the lap, Liz appeared near the end of the group, cheering, encouraging and running with the group all the way to the finish line.

After all students had completed the final segment of the marathon, they gathered in the middle of the football field. Todd Catlin and helpers provided 26 balloons to various students with each balloon signifying one mile of the journey. The balloons were released all at once with them soaring up and away as had the kids soared in their attempt of complete the marathon.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA