Healthy Kids Running Series- Lawrence Township

July 4th, 2023

By Peter Bialkowski

Exercise is important for not only physical health - but mental health too. One of the best ways to maximize working out is to take it outdoors! Whether it’s going on a morning jog at the park or simply walking around the neighborhood, experiencing nature when exercising is a great way to improve both physical and mental health.

Healthy Kids Running Series, a national running program, sets a great example for this. For kids ages pre-k to eighth grade, HKRS engages kids to be healthy and active in a fun way. Lici Zhu and Rafael Berriel, co-coordinators for the HKRS - Lawrence Township, actively strive to give the kids of the neighborhood a chance to compete and live a healthy lifestyle!

This non-profit youth running program, which started last fall, has had a successful couple of seasons to kick off its debut in Lawrenceville. Each running season consists of five-week races and has a series of different race distances to choose from. The 50 and 75-yard dashes, the 1/4 mile, the 1/2 mile, and the 1-mile run give kids the opportunity to compete for points. At the end of the season, the kids with the most points in their division win trophies - but everyone gets a participation medal!

“Our goal is to engage kids aged 2-14 to be healthy and active,” says Lici. “It is important for us to have kids lead a healthy lifestyle.”

As a Lawrenceville resident for the past five years, Lici has always been interested in running. Having competed in marathons, she was ecstatic to combine her love for running, volunteering, and working with kids.

“I wanted to get to know more people here,” she says. “This was a great experience to do that! It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the community.”

The other co-coordinator, Rafael, has similar reasons for getting involved.

“It’s a perfect excuse to spend time with my son,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity to do something that challenges us and that we both love.”

Rafael is from Mexico, where he got his Bachelor’s in Foreign Language Teaching. He came to the US for a Master’s in Public Administration, and is now a 5th grade Bilingual teacher.

“If we can bring this experience to parents, it would be a great thing to do for the community,” he says.

Lawrenceville means a lot to Lici, Rafael, and the HKRS organization. They are always looking to have a positive impact on the community. The organization teaches kids not only about having a healthy lifestyle but ways to deal with winning and losing.

“We hope the kids learn how to accomplish something,” Lici says. “They can be frustrated not being first place; learning how to navigate it in a group setting teaches them that you don't have to be number 1 to be successful. Improvement is a success.”

“It is a competition,” Rafael says. “You’re not gonna win everything, but you need to try your hardest.”

While Lawrenceville has a new HKRS, the organization has a home in 41 states, with over 70 thousand kids actively participating. Although it began 13 years ago, it is still going strong and will continue to grow!

HKRS is always looking for volunteers, coordinators, and sponsors. There are over 300 Community Coordinators with the HKRS and 70 new programs nationwide. You can even submit your story to be featured on the official HKRS blog. For information on how to register your kids, please visit their Facebook page, Healthy Kids Running Series - Lawrence Township, NJ | Chadds Ford PA | Facebook. There will also be flyers posted around various businesses in the community so be on the lookout!

Originally Published in Lawrence Neighbors magazine