Lakewood Hospital President Jack Gustin, right, presents a check to Fairview Park city consultant Ed Eiskamp, recreation department employee Emily Ogilvy and Recreation Director Tim Pinchek. The $5,000 will help fund a family fitness program the Fairview Park Recreation Department is developing in conjunction with the Cleveladn Clinic. (West Life photo by Kevin Kelley)

Race money to promote youth fitness
By Kevin Kelley
Westshore
Published Sept. 3, 2008

The inaugural Run For the Young 5K and 3K race held June 28 at Crocker Park in Westlake raised over $68,000 for Westshore organizations to support fitness and nutrition programs for area youth.

Monica Robins, health reporter at Channel 3 News, runs in the 5K race June 28 at Crocker Park in Westlake. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

The event, in which 524 individuals participated, also included a 1-mile kid’s fun run.

The top three finishers in the men’s 5K run were Rick Bement of Columbia Station, David Leonard of Lorain and Stephen Benesh of Cleveland. The top three female runners were Jessica Kuhr of Willoughby, Ellie Hess of Cleveland and Shannon McConville of Westlake.

Jack Gustin, president of Lakewood Hospital, passed out checks to representatives of five organizations receiving race funds during a brief ceremony Aug. 27 at LaCentre Conference and Banquet Facility in Westlake.

Fred DeGrandis, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals, said the Run For the Young was remarkably successful for an inaugural event.

“We want to make this a regular, annual event,” DeGrandis said.

The race supported a very important cause, DeGrandis said, the wellness of our youth.

Brothers Trent, 6, and Drew Thomas, 4, are proud of their medals they received at the Run For the Young. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Fairview, Lakewood and Lutheran Hospitals, all Cleveland Clinic hospitals, were major sponsors of the race.

Organizations that received $5,000 from the Run For the Young were Community Challenge, the Lakewood YMCA and the recreation departments of Fairview Park, Rocky River and Westlake.

Rocky River’s rec department will use the money to purchase Wii fitness games for the teen lounge at the Don Umerley Civic Center, said recreation department director Mike Patterson. He said the games should be available for use in six to eight weeks.

At the Westlake Recreation Center, director Mike Rump will use the money to add an interactive nutrition display, which he says will be similar to a computer kiosk.

The display will be placed in the area known as “The Den,” which he describes as a fitness room for teenagers.

The Den already has exercise equipment and interactive exercise bicycles hooked up to Playstation video games.

“The speed (of the player-controlled vehicle) is controlled by how fast you pedal the bike,” Rump explained.

Rump said money from Run For the Young will also be used to have nutritionists give talks to teen members of the rec center.

At Fairview Park’s new $19-million rec center, known as the Gemini Center, the money will be used for a program the center is creating with the Cleveland Clinic called Fit Families.

Designed for families with kids ages 9 to 12, the program will consist of family exercise sessions once a week for 10 weeks, according to rec center employee Emily Ogilvy. The dozen or so children who will participate will receive instruction from a person trainer in aerobics. Nutritionists and dieticians will also be brought in to speak to participating families.

The program, which will require a fee and be open to both residents and non-residents of Fairview Park, will begin in September. If the program is successful enough, it may be run continuously, Ogilvy said.

The date for the 2009 Run For the Young has been set for June 27. The race again will take place at Crocker Park.

On the Net:

• Run For the Young official site