Miles Are Adding Up for Lutz Elementary

It’s hard for Amanda Fulmer to sit on the sidelines and watch as youngsters opt to lead sedentary lifestyles and pay by the pound for doing so.

As Lutz Elementary School’s longtime physical education teacher, Fulmer thought she was in a position to do something about it. That’s why she launched the Lutz Miles Club and that’s why she applied for and won a grant from Saucony at the end of last school year.

It’s Fulmer’s hope the $4,800 will help her advance programs at the school meant to battle childhood obesity. And, while Lutz Elementary has officially won the grant, there’s a caveat to the school claiming the full amount. In order for Fulmer to claim a remaining $2,400 payment, people across the country have to log at least 10,000 miles by the end of September using Saucony’s iPhone and iPod app for runners.

The first half of the grant has been paid to the school and is now being used to make sure students who don’t have proper running shoes get them and to fund materials for the run club. If those miles are logged by the end of September, Fulmer said the additional money will help with advancing the club even more.

Fulmer was inspired to start the run club after watching kids spend their recess time just playing in the dirt instead of getting up and getting active.

“I’ve grown so frustrated watching the kids get fatter,” she said, adding that physical education classes are only staged two days a week.

While only a year old, the run club is a hit at the school, Fulmer said.

Last year saw about a 98 percent participation rate.

“Our kids ran over 16,000 miles last year,” she said.

Run club includes a number of incentives for the students who participate. For every five miles logged, they get a token reward with prizes getting better for each new level. The Saucony grant money is hoped to help make sure the rewards keep coming and the kids keep running.

Want to Help Out?

Just download the Run4Good app from iTunes and start logging your miles. Anyone in the country can help add to the total for Lutz Elementary School.

So far, 1,794 miles have been logged in September, according to Saucony’s website.