UCLA Athletics Hosts Final Mile Medal Celebration for Marathon Kids
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March 17, 2009
UCLA Athletics hosted the Marathon Kids Final Mile Medal Celebration this past Saturday at Drake Stadium. Over 6000 kindergarten through 5th graders, their families and teachers from around the greater Los Angeles Area returned to mark the end of their five-month program. Head Football Coach Rick Neuheisel and Assistant Men's Track & Field Coach Tony Veney were on hand to welcome the participants on behalf of UCLA. Participants ran the final lap, and a half of their incremental 26.2 mile marathon, and were awarded their participant medals by UCLA student-athletes and community volunteers. Over 150 Bruin student-athletes and staff were on hand to cheer on the participants as they accomplished their goals.
This is the third year that UCLA Athletics has hosted the Marathon Kids program. Marathon Kids® is a 12-year-old non-profit organization that targets children most vulnerable to childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Birthed as a grassroots initiative, it is now in several Texas cities (Austin, Dallas, Houston, Rio Grande Valley), Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, Illinois. There are over 123,000 kindergarten through 5th graders now participating in the nationally recognized, free Marathon Kids Program.
