Rich on Running: Kids have their day in Essex County XC Championships

For youngsters interested in running, the Essex County Elementary School Cross Country Championships will take place at Gannon Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 9.?It gives the opportunity not just for Lynn kids, but other local kids to experience the flavor of a big meet atmosphere,” said Joe Abelon, who is helping to organize the event along with Lisa Nerich of Lynn Parks and Recreation.There will be four races starting at 10 a.m., the first two with a distance of .7 miles, for girls and boys in grades 1-3; and the next two with a distance of 1.25 miles, for girls and boys in grades 1-5. The latter two races are School Championship team scoring events.The course, Abelon said, is “marked off, coned off. Once somebody gets started, they?ll go in the direction indicated. They?ll have no trouble finding their way around the route.”Toward that end, Abelon has purchased 1.1 miles of polypropylene webbing and hundreds of stakes. He and his friend Roseann Duchane will stake off the course the day before.?These kids are not trained athletes,” Abelon said. “Some go out fast and the next time you see them, they?re walking. Others go out at a comfortable pace so they can complete the distance successfully.”Asked about how to teach youngsters to run, Abelon said, “They should start running under parental or a physical education teacher?s instruction, at a steady five minutes the first couple times. Add minutes until they?re running for 15 or 20 minutes. They?ll succeed in finishing the course here.?Run around the block, under parental supervision, the playground, Lynn Woods or the beach. The secret is not to run fast.”He added that if children run comfortably, they can get stronger, which helps them run faster and longer.?Your body will make changes,” he said. “You?ll find yourself more and more fit.”The event is open to all students in public, parochial, charter and private elementary schools in Essex County, as well as to those communities that are not in the county but that are members of the Merrimack Valley Conference, Cape Ann League or Northeastern Conference. Home-schooled students in grades 1-5 can participate, but must run as individuals.This event is the first of its kind, and Abelon discussed the relative shortage of track events for youngsters.?Running, it?s very individualistic,” he said. “There?s not much competition available. Youth soccer, there are all kinds of programs available. (It?s the same in) basketball and hockey. There are no formal structured programs (in running). Normally, you don?t see that. In basketball, they form basketball leagues for elementary kids in the city (of Lynn).”Entries are due by Wednesday, Oct. 30. The mailed entry fee is $3, and the race-day entry fee is $10. For more information, visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/