Students share their love of running

Sparta High School juniors Remson Jarrell and Sam Scalera have enjoyed and benefited from running.

They saw a way to share that experience with younger students and to raise money for the school’s cross country, winter track, spring track and Unified track teams at the same time.

They organized the first Sparta Cross Country and Track Fun Run on Saturday, June 17 on the high school track. The event offered a one-mile race and a two-mile race for children in grades 3-12 and any adults who wished to accompany them.

Forty-two people registered for the event, which was meant to be less of a competition and more of a fun, low-key exposure to running. All participants received medals.

Sam said the two thought of holding a community event “in hopes of inspiring younger kids to exercise, be healthy and cultivate a love of running.” They approached the Booster Club with their idea and immediately received support and guidance.

They recalled their positive experiences with running.

“When I was a freshman, I was pretty lost and my grades were not great,” Remson said. “I used to play a bunch of different sports and loved all of them but didn’t really feel attached to any of them.”

That changed when he started running for Sparta High School. He went from a 2.8 grade point average (GPA) during his freshman year to a 4.4 GPA this year. He credits the turnaround in his academic performance to his experience on the cross country team.

He felt welcomed by his older teammates, who became role models for him. “They were great runners, great students and great people in general. They really set the bar for me and inspired me to do better.”

Remson and Sam had several goals for the Fun Run.

“We wanted to pass our passion for running along to the younger generation, give back to the community, hopefully recruit some future track teammates, and have some fun along the way,” Sam said.

They believe that they started to achieve these goals when they saw the smiling faces of the young runners Saturday.

“The kids who were able to make it had a blast! Like the little guy who jogged behind his dad and ran a whole two miles with a big smile on his face!” Sam said.

The two plan to host the Fun Run again next year.

“I want to pass on the tradition to younger kids who are looking to work hard and want to be part of a really positive community,” Remson said.

They also want to remind people that anyone can run.

“Running is a sport accessible to everyone - no equipment needed,” Sam said.