Expanding youth running opportunities:

In 2010, Jenny Williams (UVRC member and former Dartmouth Cross Country runner) had been coaching middle school cross-country through the Norwich Recreation Department for several years.  Having been an XC and track runner in high school and college, she was well aware of the positive identity and improved self-esteem many young people develop through running. A family friend -  a single mom -  had a middle school aged son at the Indian River School in Enfield.  While his mom worked full-time, he often spent his after-school time alone, playing video games.  Williams wished there was a way for him to benefit from the joys of running with a team.

She reached out to Paul Coats, Lebanon Recreation Director, and his wife Kristen Coats – both avid runners and members of UVRC.  Through collaboration with Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL), the Mascoma School district, the Mascoma Valley Recreation Department, and In The Arena, Kristen and Jenny created a cross-country running team at IRS.  The first head coach was Ben True, nationally renowned cross-country, 5K and 10K runner and aspiring Olympian.  True was sponsored at that time by In The Arena, a national non-profit funding aspiring Olympic athletes, in exchange for 25+ hours per week of service in their local communities.  True coached the Indian River Tigers for three years, inspiring a tremendous following among his runners, many of whom still talk about his influence on them.  By 2014, True was sponsored by Saucony and traveling the world for races, so was unable to consistently coach the fall and spring seasons at IRS.  

Williams was seeking a way to expand the IRS model to other Upper Valley schools, but the challenge was finding coaches who could stay with a team for multiple seasons.  As she and Coats conferred with Sheila Powers, Principal of the White River School in WRJ, VT, they realized that teachers and para-professionals at each school would be wonderful coaches.  Powers stated, “Many of my students are experiencing huge challenges in their academic and personal lives.  I want them to spend after-school time with the same trusted adults who’ve seen them all day and all week.”  

Thus Finding Our Stride (FOS), a FREE after-school running program for middle and elementary schools in the Upper Valley, was born.  

The program partners with schools where at least 30% of students receive free or reduced lunch, and aims to build not only fitness but also self-esteem and teamwork (connection to community).  The program is funded entirely through philanthropy, so there is no cost to the runners, families or schools. Coaches receive modest stipends.  In schools that already have a successful Girls On The Run program, FOS will offer a boys alternative.  Some schools opt to have a co-ed team.  Most programs serve either grades 2-5 or 6-8, but a few schools start as early as kindergarten.  The program serves a wide geographic area, going north to Woodsville NH and south to Claremont NH and Springfield VT.

Finding Our Stride received 501C3 non profit status in 2019, and is now operating in 24 UV schools.  Williams was joined in 2016 by Tara McGovern, whose background in the lobbying and non-profit world were perfect for her role as Program Director.  Each fall, all runners and coaches are encouraged to participate in the CHaD Hero.  In 2019, FOS had the largest team, with 465 runners raising over $45,000 for CHaD.  

Since 2015, UVRC members Rick Currier and Lori Bliss Hill have coached the Indian River Middle School team and achieved remarkable success and recognition for their athletes.  In 2019, the boys team won the NH State Cross Country meet, and for the last two years, roughly 10 members of the team have participated in the USATF National Junior Olympics XC Championships through the Granite State Flash team.  Amanda Isabelle, Mascoma Valley School Superintendent, knows the team first-hand through her two sons’ participation.  She was so enthusiastic about the program that she wrote it into the district budget proposal for 2020-21.  The IRS team will now be funded by the district, and will continue to be coached by Currier and Bliss-Hill, and to collaborate with Finding Our Stride for the CHaD Hero.  

How do you manage an in-person after school running program in a pandemic? FOS offered its season virtually this spring, in spite of schools being closed. 18 of its 24 teams participated, with nearly 300 students from all over the Upper Valley joining their teammates in completing physical activities and team challenges.

“Losing extracurriculars and sports has been even more challenging for our usually busy kids, but the Finding Our Stride group gave incentives and motivation [that] might not have been [there] otherwise",” commented a Bradford Elementary School parent.

Each week, students were challenged to complete three workouts, one yoga routine, and one mindfulness exercise for the duration of the six-week season. Teams also competed against each other in weekly challenges, which included the average number of sit-ups a team could complete as well as the average length of time that team members could hold a plank. On Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., all teams were encouraged to go outside and make as much noise as possible in a “Strider Sound Off” to recognize essential workers and health care providers.

 Coaches from each school contacted their team members each week for updates on their progress, and inquired about how they were coping with the challenges of remote learning.  Many coaches offered weekly online team meetings and completed workouts with their team. When asked about their favorite part of the season, a student from the Mount Lebanon School replied, “I liked seeing my classmates on Zoom.”

 The parent of a Claremont Middle School student commented, “She has a new love of running.  Thanks for keeping her motivated during this remote learning phase.  This helped her tremendously, being connected.”

 Each spring, Finding Our Stride teams usually participate in an athletic event to benefit a charity in their community. However, with all events canceled due to COVID-19, Finding Our Stride offered teams the opportunity to complete an event virtually. This season, teams joined with Positive Tracks in a 5k benefitting Feeding America, which raised enough funds for 12,190 meals for those struggling with food insecurity. Additionally, over 50 Finding Our Stride runners joined Cam Marshall of Lyme, NH in raising $2,915 for Best Buddies, the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During the month of June, Finding Our Stride members are also participating in the Race to the Top of Wrights Mountain in Bradford Vermont to raise funds for the Bradford Conservation Commission.

 In an end of season survey, students reported the following outcomes:

• 67% of students were active 5 or more days a week
• 43% of students completed Finding Our Stride activities with their family members
• 85% of students reported maintaining or increasing their normal activity levels