It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for the Webster Central School District’s 60th annual Fun Run, held Thursday morning at Charles Sexton (North Ponds) Park.
The annual Fun Run challenges our district’s fourth graders (about 600 of them this year) to complete a one-mile course along the trails surrounding the park. The event began six decades ago as a modest sixth-grade competition at DeWitt Elementary School, but over the years expanded to include entire grade levels across all Webster elementary schools, shifting its focus from a high-stakes race to a celebratory lesson in wellness.
Today, the Fun Run serves as an opportunity to introduce fourth grade students to local community park resources while encouraging lifelong healthy habits.
District elementary physical education teachers collaborate each year to organize the event, encouraging students to run, jog, or walk the course at their own pace. For many of these students, running a full mile can be an intimidating task, and the Fun Run might be the first time they’d ever done that. Crossing the authentic running-race finish line instills a profound sense of pride and self-confidence, showing students firsthand what they can achieve when they tackle a tough challenge.
The atmosphere at the start of the race was electric. Each student got his or her very own running bib, complete with a timing chip. As the countdown started, a few got in some final stretches, others settled into their running stances, and the rest just bounced with excitement. Upbeat music blared through large speakers. Parents lined the course, holding signs and shouting encouragement. Then, at the appointed time, the runners burst off the start line to rousing cheers from the adoring crowd.
I love this event for so many reasons. It doesn’t only teach our kids that exercise — even running — can be fun; it also gives them a chance to see old friends, meet new friends, do something together with all of their fourth grade classmates, and really feel part of a community, regardless of their physical ability.
It was a great day for all involved. Thank you to our WCSD phys. ed teachers for pulling this together every year, to the transportation department for providing buses, to the Webster Thomas and Schroeder student-athletes who encouraged the young runners, to Fleet Feet for providing the official race bibs and fancy finish line, and to all the parents who came out to cheer. The big smiles from the kids make it all worth it.
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(posted 9/26/2026)
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