PUBLISHED 09/22/2006
The Mentor: Kay Morris
By Jane Unger Hahn
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| © Patrick Voight |
Kay Morris is leading a battle against childhood obesity. But don't tell that to the kids in her running program--they think they're running just for fun. Morris, 56, is the founder and director of Marathon Kids, a nonprofit Texas-based program that provides free walking, running, and nutrition advice for kindergartners through fifth-graders. Participants "run a marathon" in half-mile or one-mile increments over five months. After accruing 25.2 miles, they run in the Final Mile Medal Celebration with thousands of other kids in their area. In 2005, the 10th anniversary of the program, Marathon Kids attracted nearly 100,000 youngsters in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Harlingen. "I want children to believe that they can complete a task that at first might seem insurmountable," Morris says. And because Marathon Kids also teaches the value of healthy eating, it received a commendation from the Texas Medical Association as an anti-obesity initiative. But Morris's reach extends beyond the state border: She has a waiting list of almost 300 cities and seven countries that are eager to introduce her program.
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