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Spring Youth Fitness Program

Spring Youth Track and Field Program

Building on the success of its Fall Youth Fitness Program, the Sacramento Running Association created a free Spring Youth Fitness Track & Field Program beginning in 2010. More than 1,000 Sacramento City Youth participated in the inaugural program that included both training and a series of informal track meets.

As part of the Sacramento Running Association's commitment to this program and youth fitness, bus transportation from area schools will be provided and more than 1,000 youths will be invited to participate this coming spring. 

Over the last 23 years, the fall program has introduced more than 40,000 youngsters to running, in turn helping them establish an active lifestyle from an early age. A Spring Youth Fitness Program will outreach to many more children to help the SRA work toward its goal of improving our children’s fitness by teaching them about fun, healthy outdoor activities. This is in harmony with First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to fight childhood obesity and is part of California Governor's Physical Fitness Challenge.

Photos and Slide Show

2011 Spring Youth Track & Field Program Slide Show

Check out the action from this year's meets! Please be patient; the slide show will take about 5 minutes to load.

Youth Fitness Facts


  • Participation in track and field promotes an active lifestyle, teaches kids to set goals while working to achieve them, and helps to develop their self-confidence.
  • Fitness has been linked to improved academic performance.  Children who score highly on California’s FitnessGram index score twice as well on the Stanford Achievement Test compared to their unfit unfit peers. (CDE)
  • 16% of American children ages 6-19 are overweight or obese, a number that has tripled in the last 30 years. (CDC)
  • For the first time in history, children born today have a life expectancy lower than their parents. (New England Journal of Medicine)
  • Hospital costs associated with child- hood obesity have more than tripled in 20 years. (NACHRI)
  • For children born in 2000, the risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during their lifetime is 30% for males and 40% for females. (NACHRI)

Program Details

The SRA’s Spring Youth Fitness Track & Field Program targets Sacramento elementary school children, grades 3 - 6. The program is free and consists of a series of track meets to introduce these kids to the fun and spirit of track and field competition.

When and Where (2012 Schedule)

  • Track meets will be held weekly (5/29, 5/31, 6/5) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.
  • Meets will be held at the Luther Burbank High School all-weather track.

All Participants Receive:

  • Transportation to the track will be provided free of charge for meets.
  • School uniforms will also be provided to all participants, and students will be allowed to keep them.

Events Contested

  • 100 Meters, 200 Meters, 400 Meters, 800 Meters, 1600 Meters, 4x100 Meter Relay, 4x400 Meter Relay, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, Hurdles
  • Students will compete against others from the same grade.

Awards

  • At each track meet all competing students receive participation ribbons.
  • The top five finishers receive ribbons denoting their accomplishments.

All-Comers

New to this year's program is an "All-Comers" component that will run simultaneously with the youth after-school program.  The All-Comers program is a three-week series of Thursday night meets starting in late June and is open to everyone!

  • Track meets will be held weekly (6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/5) from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.
  • Meets will be held at the Luther Burbank High School all-weather track.