Runner in Red: 5K Map for Health and Resiliency
Learn how to apply your strengths from sports to perform at your peak and meet challenges
The “Runner in Red” workshop offers teens a five step process to identify strengths they develop from sports. The workshop shows them how to use their values and skills from sports to meet the challenges of today’s adolescence
Fifty mothers and daughters from the Garden City chapter of National Charity League joined with the Runner in Red Foundation, the Family and Children’s Association and author, Tom Murphy, October 29, 2024 at the Garden City Library to kick off an innovative Runner in Red workshop series designed to support teen resiliency.
The program teaches teens how to tap their strengths from sports to meet the challenges of modern adolescence and set themselves on a pathway to health and success in life.
With the “test” completed, and the results showing success, the Runner in Red Foundation and Family and Children’s Association will offer a Runner in Red workshop in the Spring of 2025 to expand upon the start we made last fall.
Murphy is the author of the Boston Marathon novel, “Runner in Red,” a story that explores the history of women runners who broke the gender barrier at Boston and paved the way for women to participate in all sports today. The stories serve as a lead in to a five-step process called “Runner in Red 5K Map for Health and Resiliency” that guides teens to create a “map” for personal health. In the workshop, participants learn how to identify strengths, including values and skills, from sports, then in small group discussions explore how they can apply those strengths as “tools” to perform at the peaks in school, sports – and life.
Members of NCL provided feedback for the teens at the Oct 29 session last fall as the workshop showed them how to match values and skills listed in the workbook to their own experiences and share in the discussions how they came to develop those strengths through their individual participation in sports.
Research shows that teens who are physically active, either by playing sports or by engaging in any physical activity – such as dance, gymnastics, etc. – develop strong mental health habits.
The teens said they had fun in the workshop, as reflected in the response from one teen who wrote on her post survey, “The workshop made me feel validated since I saw others have the same feelings as I do,” thus creating the platform for expansion and a formal pilot this spring.
The Runner in Red Foundation has been sponsored by Hilton Capital Management of Garden City and Katten for a 5K race each March. The fifth annual 2025 5K will be held March 15 at Eisenhower Park.
The “5K Map” program is a new initiative from the foundation to support teen mental health at a time when teens face increased stresses from technology and other pressures.
The Runner in Red Foundation is pleased to be partnering with Family and Children’s Association and National Charity League – with input from Northwell Cancer Institute – as the Garden City-based charity works to enlist sponsors to expand the Runner in Red workshop series broadly on Long Island in 2025.
As a follow up to the Runner in Red workshop, we offer participants a chance to enter their ACTION PLANS from their workbook in a competition. We invite you to show how you are using your values and skills – and have a chance to win awards.
Submit your Runner in Red ACTION PLAN!
(Note: your Action Plan should be 300 to 500 words. You can take it from the “5K” section of your Runner in Red course workbook. Tell how you are using, or have used, your values and skills from sports to perform at your peak in school, sports or life – to meet challenges or achieve goals.)
All form fields below are required for contest entry.
NOTE: Click on the tab above to attached your document, it may not look like it’s been uploaded, but it has! Once you hit SUBMIT, you’ll see a confirmation appear.
If you have any difficulty uploading, or any question, email us at:
We’ll have updates on the awarding process soon. Thank you for participating!