Gig Harbor Students Get Healthier, One Mile at a Time

 Students at took a step toward a healthy lifestyle on Wednesday.

As part of the , many of the schools in the participated in the fifth annual event.

While some sprinted and others took their time, every kid was able to finish the mile at the elementary school.

According to Dr. Patrick Hogan of Puget Sound Neurology, who has been organizing the event for the past two years, the Peninsula School District is the largest group in the country that’s taking part in the event for the second year in a row.

With the help of Harbor Height’s PE teacher, Dave Rucci, Hogan was able to expand the initiative to all of the elementary schools last year. This year, all of the middle schools and jumped on board.

Hogan said the event, sponsored by the American Running Association, is important to teach kids about exercising and being active at an early age.

“Once the kids start, they realize that running can be a part of their whole life. That’s the whole idea. If you don’t start early, it’s harder to start later,” he said.

This year the students also got a visit from a motivational speaker Harry Cordellus, who has been considered to be the country's top blind athlete. Check out the video of Cordellus playing pingpong at Monday's assembly.

Watch the video to learn more about the event and see how the students did.