10 Family Fitness Ideas from Around the Country

Fun Run

12:00 p.m., Monday, New York City

Don't try to drive past P.S. 69 in the Bronx around noon on a weekday. Instead of traffic, you'll find the Mighty Milers, the school's pint-size pre-K through fourth-grade walkers and runners, zipping around orange cones on a quarter-mile closed street course. They're some of the 20,000 five- to 10-year-olds in New York City who are taking part in this highly successful New York Road Runners Foundation program.

"There was a lot of huffing and puffing, but by the third week, we noticed children were able to go longer distances," notes Alan D. Cohen, the school's principal. "At first, I could run only a few steps, then I'd have to walk," says third grader Julian Diaz. "Now I can run a whole mile without stopping!" Enthusiasm for Mighty Milers has set off an avalanche of changes, such as a healthy cooking club, a new fitness center, and a student-led nutrition committee that replaced typical vending-machine fare with smarter choices such as soy chips and fruit snacks.

For more info: NYRR Foundation also offers City Sports for Kids, a track program for dedicated budding runners. Go to nyrrfoundation.org and click on Programs.