Kids of STEEL
WAYNESBURG — When Kellie-Ann Mauté began planning Waynesburg Central Elementary School’s submission for the Pen Pal Contest as part of the Kids of STEEL program, she thought for a while and wondered how a small rural school like hers could compete with bigger urban schools in the greater Pittsburgh area.
As coordinator for the program, she eventually came up with a novel idea — a collage of photos that shows the elementary school students participating in the Kids of STEEL program holding small, carefully wrapped packages. The idea was to show that “great things can come from small towns, too.”
The idea turned out to be a winner for her and the 78 elementary students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade who are participating in this year’s Kids of STEEL program and training for the upcoming Toyota Pittsburgh Kids Marathon, scheduled for Saturday, April 30.
As the winners, all 78 student participants got to correspond with the professional runners in a Kids of STEEL Pen Pal program and will get to attend a picnic at Point State Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 29. All the expenses for the trip to Pittsburgh, including the buses and luncheon, will be paid for by the Pittsburgh Marathon/Kids of STEEL program.
Starting in January and continuing through May, the 78 student participants agreed to log 26.2 miles of activity — either running or some other form of exercise — to approximate the distance of a marathon race. Some will complete their final mile in Pittsburgh on April 30, while others chose to run the final mile on their own in Greene County.
All of the participants joined the school’s Kids of STEEL Training Club, which meets at Waynesburg Central Elementary School from 7:30 to 8 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday to either walk or run a mile. At the end of April, the students will hand in their training logs and get a finisher prize.
“While we’re not sure what this year’s prize will be, last year the participants got a lunch box,” Mauté said.
As winners of the Pen Pal Contest, the Kids of STEEL participants got to write letters, questionnaires and emails to the three professional runners, beginning in March. The runners include Serena Burla, 2011 DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon winner; Yihunlish Bekele of Ethiopia and now a U.S. citizen; and Team USA Minnesota member, Rob Molke.
During the April 29 picnic for Waynesburg Central Elementary School’s participants, the runners will meet with the students, have lunch with them and participate in exercises, activities and games.
“As part of the Kids of STEEL Pen Pal project, I will tell the kids of my experiences with running and how I became an elite athlete,” Bekele said. “I will tell them about my background and my culture as an Ethiopian athlete. I have shared some Ethiopian culture with my teammates in D.C., such as some drills, music and even dance moves; perhaps I’ll do the same with the kids.”
Burla, a professional runner from St. Louis, Missouri, may maintain a low profile, but she is no stranger to juggling her professional running career and the demands of parenthood. After finding a malignant tumor in her hamstring in 2010 and not knowing if she would ever run again, Burla defied the odds and, most recently, had the fifth fastest 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time.
“My main hope for the students in the Kids of STEEL program is that they have fun and grow as a person,” she said. “I hope it plants a seed inside of them to be more confident, secure, happy and healthy throughout their lives.”
Ella Miller, 8, a second grade student at Waynesburg Central Elementary School from Mt. Morris, participated in both this year’s and last’s year’s Kids of STEEL program. She joined because she said a lot of her teachers run in marathons, which got her interested in running.
“They asked me who inspired me to run, and I answered Miss Mauté,” said Ella, who also plays soccer in addition to running.
Of her two brothers, Harlen, 17, and Dylan, 10, Dylan is also participating in this year’s Kids of STEEL Program.
“I think it’s great for kids to participate in the program because it gives them a chance to exercise and helps get their day started by running,” said Ella’s mother, Tara, who coaches her daughter’s soccer team.
Another student participant, Kory Taylor, 8, a second grade student at the school from Waynesburg, raced last year as well.
“My mom suggested I try it, and I liked it so much I decided to run this year and next year as well,” Kory said.
The April 29 picnic at Point State Park will mark the third time Kory will visit Pittsburgh. In the past he’s gone to the Pittsburgh Zoo and the Carnegie Science Center, trips organized through the Bowlby Library of Waynesburg.
In addition to running, Kory also plays baseball, basketball and hockey. At the picnic, Kory’s mother, Jackie, will serve as chaperone to the students.
Mauté’s daughter, Sophina, 7, a second grade student, has already logged most of her marathon miles for the Kids of STEEL program. She’s also written letters to two of the professional runners.
“I still haven’t met them, so I’m looking forward to seeing them at the picnic,” said Sophina, who also plays soccer and takes dance lessons. “And I hope they give me some tips on running.”
The Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon is a nonprofit organization passionate about promoting the love of running and enhancing community access to health, fitness education and activities. Best known for organizing the acclaimed annual DSG Pittsburgh Marathon, it also runs a variety of other high-quality races, events and health and fitness programs throughout the Pittsburgh region. While many of its races attract some of the nation’s highest profile professional athletes, it offers activities for all ages and ability levels, including Kids of STEEL.
Professional runner Rob Molke is a graduate of Syracuse University and a member of Team USA Minnesota. Molke qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 1:03:07 at the 2015 USA Half Marathon Championship.
“I hope that the kids learn all about the life and training of a professional distance runner, but more importantly, I hope that they are inspired to lead healthy and active lifestyles through my interactions with them,” he said. “Running has taught me many valuable life skills that I have been able to apply to my personal life such as discipline, motivation and setting goals. So I also hope that the kids learn how running can help them to succeed for the future.”