Nothing is more important for your health than regular physical activity, and music feeds the soul. Unfortunately, school sports and music programs are seeing drastic cuts due to tough economic times. Anne McCarthy, a runner and music teacher in the Edison, NJ public school system, is taking the lead in supporting music education in the classrooms, while promoting a more active lifestyle for the youth in our New Jersey communities. Her non-profit organization, Miles For Music, is hosting a two-part event on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at Johnson Park in Highland Park, NJ. To be held first, at 9:00am, is a 20K race open to all runners. Following that, at 12:00pm, will be a 1-mile walk/run event that is open to school teams with 10 or more participants.
Group training runs for this event will begin on Saturday, January 21, at Johnson Park in Highland Park, NJ. Joel Simpson, one of the event organizers, has informed me that there will be support for all different pace groups, and you will be guaranteed to have a running partner. The Saturday Training Runs will be supported by Raritan Valley Road Runners, the host running club for the event, and will start at Johnson Park Grove 2 Parking Lot at 9:00am. The Club also hosts 6:30pm Wednesday evening group runs in Highland Park at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, 19-21 South 2nd Ave, which offers another perfect opportunity to train for this event with other runners at all ability levels.
Please visit the Miles For Music website to find out how you can register for the individual race, register your school, sponsor the event, or volunteer your time and services. If you know anyone else who would like to participate in or sponsor this event, please forward this information to them soon. Registration for the 20k is due by March 8th if registering online (March 5th for mail-in registration), and schools must be registered for the 1-mile walk/run by Monday, February 27, 2012. Thank you for supporting this event!
