"Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running."

What better advice could you find for kids today as they face the harsh reality of a challenging world. As a life long runner, I know first hand the benefits of running. I started in my youth, I urge all parents to involve their kids in youth running programs. The health benefits are unsurpassed in any sport and your child will also find comaraderie and learn mental toughness as well in the opportunities for spirited competition that youth running clubs provide.