Rockville Centre students complete yearlong marathon

South Side High School students took to the track on May 31 to complete their yearlong goal of running a marathon — 26.2 miles — and later celebrated during an awards ceremony, where they earned new sneakers.

Through national non-profit organization Achilles Kids’ Run to Learn program, a free school initiative that provides physical activity integrated with educational components, students in the high school and middle school’s CORE program each year take part in a virtual marathon in their gym classes from September to June.

Karen Lewis, director of Achilles Kids, came from New Jersey to watch the students finish the journey, which they complete by running small distances at a time. “Seeing the kids accomplish their goals just never gets old,” she told the Herald. “…This sense of accomplishment carries over to other aspects of their life.”

Lewis, 64, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980, became involved with Achilles Kids in 1995. The running program is in 354 schools across 20 states, she said, reaching about 11,000 kids, many of who are on the autism spectrum. Lewis recently ran five marathons in five weeks to show that people with disabilities can overcome adversity.

South Side Middle School students had completed the marathon the day before. Physical education teachers Meaghan Healey and Carolyn Ferguson run the initiative in Rockville Centre.

General education students at South Side involved in the school’s Unified Physical Education program cheered on the runners last week as they ran the last tenth of a mile or so of the marathon.

“This program allows South Side to be so much more inclusive, and you can tell the smile on their faces when all of us come to help them,” said junior Maeve Riordan, who crossed the finish line with Amir Knight. “They’re always so happy and always so willing to have fun with us.”

The students returned to the gym as Queen’s “We Are The Champions” blared. Each runner was called up to a podium to receive their award: new sneakers, which were funded by a $2,000 donation from the Tommy Brull Foundation, a Rockville Centre-based organization that raises money for people with physical, mental and emotional challenges.

“It’s just amazing to see the joy on their faces and how excited and encouraged they are,” said Martin Brull, who founded the nonprofit in 2008. “To see the confidence in their face is great.”