Elementary Running Club Holds First Meet

Students from , and elementary schools ran in the Grosse Pointe Fishflies first meet that included a 1.25 mile distance race, a 40-yard dash and 0.25-mile relay event.

Parent and one of the organization's founders, Stephanie Stallings, said the meet began Friday in with a talk from Paul Hefferon of about the four F's: feet, fuel, fluids and fun. 

The children ran the distance race first and everyone finished in less than 17 minutes, according to a press release from Stallings. During the 40-yard dash, the children were also able to complete an obstacle course and play octopus tag before completing the final event. 

Following the running challenges, the children participated in an awards ceremony. They earned first, second and third place rankings and earned points for their school. The school at the end of the meet that amassed the most points keep and display the plaque for one year in their school until the next meet. Mason had the most points overall for the culmination of the three events.

The following is the ranking for the 0.25 mile relay race:

• First Place: Poupard Elementary
• Second Place: Mason Elementary
• Third Place: Ferry Elementary

The running group began at Mason Elementary as a way to get younger kids involved in the sport of running. The organization holds regular practices, in which fun is emphasized during training through a variety of games requiring running. and the parents who started the group aimed to grow it to all of the elementary schools with the help of parents.