Are you a MILER yet?

The American Running Association (ARA) will once again honor Sir Roger Bannister’s May 6, 1954 sub-4-minute mile by holding RUN A MILE DAYs May 6 through 8, 2010, nationwide. The event is in its third year and attracts schools, track clubs, and local community groups with its simple, attainable, and highly enjoyable goal of getting as many people as possible, young and old, to run a mile. Once again, the online publication Youth Runner is co-sponsoring the event, bringing its energy and youth-sports organizational acumen to RUN A MILE DAY.

The ARA is still seeking community hosts for events in all 50 states. “All events are free. No entry fees will be taken,” says ARA executive director Dave Watt. Organizers can fundraise on their MILE DAY events by selling t-shirts that they can purchase at reduced cost from the ARA. To join with your own local event, all you need is a local track.

Dave Watt says physical education classes in schools are the perfect opportunity. Just choose the school day that is best for your students and staff. Running clubs and community groups can run on Saturday, May 8. Four laps on a track are all it takes to run a mile. The organizers stress that it’s as easy as just letting the ARA and Youth Runner know that you want to host a RUN A MILE DAY event, and they’ll add you to the list of participants.

Your school or group will receive official RUN A MILE DAY certificates to give to all participants, discounted commemorative t-shirts, a mile training program for youth participants, and an event operations guide to ensure your event runs smoothly and is fun for all.

Last Year’s Organizers Back for More

Steve Thornock, RRCA Nevada/Idaho state representative and Las Vegas Junior Track Club president, is organizing an event once again this year and has expanded it to include even more schools. Last year, Steve had about 100 people, ranging in age from eight to 80. “There are lots of races for everyday runners,” he says. “This race is free to all kids, which gets them to try a race.” And according to Steve, the investment works: “Nearly all of the kids that ran last year's race are in this year's after-school running club.”

RUN A MILE DAYs is a great opportunity to get boys and girls—and adults young and old as well—interested in getting in shape and measuring their fitness level. Qualified participants include anyone willing and able to run a mile on the day of the event. The ARA stresses that there are no fixed times for events; you decide whatever schedule works best for you that day. If you are interested in running the mile as a group or school, email miler@americanrunning.org or call Dave or Maria at 301-913-9517 x 12 or x 13.

Ben Pearl, DPM, is returning this year to help Arlington County schools in VA with their event. The changes he’s seen in young runners from last year are exciting. “My daughter Sirena is now excited about her school triathlon club,” Ben says, adding, “Sirena ran like a Peanuts character last year, arms and legs akimbo—one year later she looks like a runner.”

Snoopy Joins the ARA 

Coincidentally, the ARA has a long tradition of organizing fitness events that attract diverse populations; perhaps the most famous case is that of a cartoon beagle. In 1977, the then-titled National Jogging Association held its first National Jogging Day. Second-ever NJA president Don Fraser explains how he came to organize the event.

“I have always enjoyed being physically fit and when I heard of NJA—in the early 70s— I contacted Dr. Bohannon and complimented him on his founding of the NJA.” The two men exchanged letters and eventually Don was asked to join the board of directors. “The board was an active board that truly believed in the need for our country to adopt a more active lifestyle,” says Don. “That first NJA Day consisted of Dr. Bohannon inviting a group of his friends to join him for a run around the Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, as a way of encouraging everyone to be more active.”

So how did Peanuts become involved with promoting NJA’s National Jogging Day? It turns out that back in 1966, Don Fraser was an advertising executive with a new idea: market products using the popular Peanuts characters. He was so successful at this that he went on to found two companies, dedicating a 36-year career to licensing Peanuts characters for use in everything from snack cakes to men’s clothing.

The rest is history. Don explains, “Charles Schulz was a good friend and he also wanted to encourage better fitness. He supported our NJA Day by running a week of Peanuts strips where Snoopy got ready for NJA Day.”

The original cartoons will appear in the new exhibit Pop Culture in Peanuts, opening May 19 at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA. The show features 70 original strips that reflect five decades of contemporary culture, and the ARA’s National Jogging Day is proud to be among that ilk. For more details visit

www.schulzmuseum.org.

National Jogging Day became a nationwide program that was carried on by members of the NJA in their local communities, much like RUN A MILE DAY is now.

A Variety of Mile Events

In Grove City, PA, S. Mark Courtney organized his local middle school last year with the help of PE teachers. Mark’s successful small business gave the race an extra flourish. “I'm a professional race timer, and we used ChampionChip timing technology to score the laps for each runner in each class. Their lap times and total time were printed on the certificate, and I distributed them a day or so later through the PE teachers.” Mark had 346 finishers, and is back on board this year.

Sometimes a smaller race can have a lasting impact, too. Podiatrist Tony Cresci from North Augusta, SC, says the highlight for him as the organizer of the 10 children nine to 12 from Our Lady of Peace School was “running as a group along the beautiful Savannah River. It gives kids a chance to realize something that many people consider work is a lot of fun and feels good.”

On a personal note, Tony adds, “I found my love for running by accident. In fifth grade I played C.Y.O. basketball and had to walk to the gym. But since I couldn't wait to play I would run as far as I could to get there sooner. After a while my running got better, until I could make it the whole way without stopping. To this day I still remember when I accomplished that. I recently mapped the distance and found out it was one mile.”

Jeff Venables is the editor of Running & FitNews, the publication of the American Running Association. He currently runs 35 miles a week.