Over 100 children and their parents gathered in downtown Longmont on Saturday night to kick off Shoes and Brews’ Fourth Annual Kids Mile before the Longmont Parade of Lights.
Runners of all ages and abilities had the opportunity to run down the middle of Main Street led by a police escort and cheered on by members of the Shoes and Brews Elite running team and parade spectators. Participants received a goodie bag from Natural Grocers along with snacks from local sponsors of the event and a hot chocolate bar at the finish.
“This is the only kids run we put on," explained Ashley Anderson, owner of Shoes and Brews. “Most of us have kids and most of the people who come into Shoes and Brews are parents. This is our opportunity to get those kids started with the sport, and what better way than to begin by running under the holiday lights, before a parade, and with all these people watching and cheering them on.”
Prior to the race, participants were busy stretching and pinning on bib numbers. Many of the runners wore holiday-themed sweaters, antlers, Santa hats and other festive attire.
Participant Sara Drost was one of the few runners wearing shorts. “I run cross country for my school, so I am used to being cold at the start,” she said.
The run began at the intersection of Longs Peak Avenue and Main Street and finished near Third Avenue.
“It’s right about a mile, which is the perfect distance for kids. It’s challenging without being too much for them,” Anderson said.
Shoes and Brews puts the run on for free, but suggested that runners make a $5 donation to a chosen charity partner. This year, Anderson selected Colorado Kids Belong as the charity partner for the Kids Mile.
Ashley Cox represented Colorado Kids Belong at the event and explained that the organization works to support foster families in a variety of different capacities.
“We want to raise awareness about the need for foster parents in the community, and we work to make it easier for parents to care for their foster children. We bring organizations together to offer discounts to families with foster children, and we find other ways to help them provide what these kids need,” Cox said.
“I think it’s great that we can get these kids outside and active and foster a love of running and support another organization for children at the same time,” Anderson said.
