Woodbury Elementary students go the extra mile en route to fitness and teamwork

More than 200 students from Woodbury Elementary School are taking a shot at running an entire marathon. Indeed, the kids will cover all 26.2 miles – they’ll just be doing it in stages through a unique program called Kids Run the OC, which was established to help children get fit and embrace active, healthy lifestyles.

Over the course of 11 weeks, the “Mustang Milers” – the team is naturally named after Woodbury’s galloping mascot – will run and walk a total of 25.2 miles after school. They’ll log the final 5,280 feet in conjunction with OC Marathon events on Saturday, April 30.   Julie Siff, a first-grade teacher at Woodbury who helped organize the team, says 115 students joined the Mustang Milers last year, marking the largest turnout for one school in Orange County. This year, she says, 205 kids are eagerly taking part every Friday. Siff and her colleagues drafted a special newsletter spotlighting the Milers' efforts. You can read it (and check out photos) by clicking here.