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Staff writer

The pint-sized runners splashed and giggled. They sprinted through damp fallen leaves and squinted in the damp afternoon air.

They ran and ran, winding through park trails, around watery ponds and turning back after reaching the tunnel near Northdale Boulevard.

Just moments and more than one mile later, more than 100 Jefferson Elementary School students crossed the finish line, having completed the first-ever Jefferson Two-Mile Race Oct. 29.

The rainy day shortened the two-mile race distance to about a mile and a quarter, but the energy and enthusiasm reached marathon proportions.

“I love the rain! I love to run! I love to run in the rain,” students squealed as runners happily made their way through the drizzle to the starting line at nearby Little League Park.

Some took the opportunity to hydrate along the way, catching rain drops on their tongues as they crossed the parking lot.

“When the rain came we considered rescheduling to next week when it might by dry outside, but these kids were ready. They wanted to run and next week it would be dark by starting time,” said Principal Kim Pavlovich, an avid runner and creator of the school’s run/walk club.

Members of the club – some 150 Jefferson students age five to 11 – have been training with Pavlovich and Team Ortho Foundation health experts for the past five weeks.

The Oct. 29 Jefferson Two-Mile Race marked the run/walk club’s finish line for their training.

“You should have seen how dedicated the kids were to increasing their distance each week so they can meet their goal on race day. We are so impressed with their excitement for activity and we hope this stays with them for years to come,” said John Larson, executive director of Team Ortho Foundation.  

The event was complete with race bibs for each student, a water stop and a big finish line filled with cheering supporters.

“This race is not about coming in first or second place...but about celebrating the accomplishment of finishing a race and doing your best,” said Pavlovich.

Jefferson’s run/walk club meets for about six weeks each fall and spring, and was established about five years ago, Pavlovich said.

“We usually have closer to 300 kids in the club in the springtime and we had so many of them wanting to do something in the fall, so here we are,” Pavlovich said.

Jefferson Elementary School children and their families also had the opportunity to take part in Team Ortho’s Monster Dash Halloween morning.    

According to Amy Leger of Team Ortho, the mission of the Team Ortho Foundation is “to improve and enhance the lives of orthopaedic patients through our commitment to supporting research, education, and advancements in orthopaedic technology; and to promote good muscular, skeletal, and joint health by encouraging an active lifestyle including training for, and participating in, amateur athletic events.”

To learn more about Team Ortho, visit www.teamortho.us.

“This was just so great. The kids all had so much fun and it was so great to partner with Team Ortho,” said Pavlovich. “We certainly hope to do this again.”

Sue Austreng is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it