Runner in Red workshop
on Long Island in
collaboration with
National Charity League
Bronx workshop with Fordham
and a group of Bronx schools
Runner in Red: 5K Map for Health and Resiliency
Learn how to apply your strengths from sports to perform at your peak and achieve goals in sports and school
The “Runner in Red” workshop offers teens a five step process to identify strengths they develop from sports and apply them to meet the challenges of today’s adolescence.
Fifty mothers and daughters from the Garden City chapter of National Charity League (NCL) joined with the Runner in Red Foundation, the Family and Children’s Association and author, Tom Murphy, in October, 2024 to kick off an innovative Runner in Red workshop series designed to
support teen resiliency.
The program teaches teens in junior high and high school how to tap their strengths from sports and set themselves on a pathway to health, resiliency and success in life.
Following the 2024 launch, the Runner in Red Foundation partnered with Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning to expand the program to teens in the Bronx with a workshop in November, 2025. That session has set the groundwork for broad-based expansion in 2026.
Murphy is the author of the Boston Marathon novel, “Runner in Red,” a story that explores the impact of women runners who broke the gender barrier at Boston in the 1960s and 70s 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 physical and mental 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.
Mentors, including educators and adults with sports backgrounds, provide feedback as the workshop shows the teens how to match values and skills listed in the workbook to their own experiences of riding the ups and downs of sports participation.
Research underscores 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 in both the Long Island and Bronx workshops said they had fun, or as one wrote on her post survey, “The workshop made me feel validated since I saw others have the same feelings as I do.” Another added, “The workshop helped me realize I’m not alone.”
The Runner in Red Foundation is sponsored by Hilton Capital Management of Garden City and Katten. The two sponsor a 5K race each March – the fifth annual 2026 5K will be held March 21, 2026 at Eisenhower Park. The race raises funds to support a cure for lung cancer – which in addition to promoting teen resiliency is part of the Foundation’s mission.
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, National Charity League and Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning.
As a follow up to the Runner in Red workshop, we offer participants a chance to enter their ACTION PLANS from their workbook. We invite you, teens, to show how you are using your values and skills.
Submit your Runner in Red ACTION PLAN!
(Note: your Action Plan should be no more than 200 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. Teens, be sure to use an adult’s email address as your contact address – we’ll keep you update through the adult email contact info you give us.
NOTE: Click on the tab above to attach 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 post submissions on our website and notify you when posted. Thank you for participating!