Eight East Tennessee Schools Achieve Title of Fittest School

Eight East Tennessee elementary schools had the highest percentage of total student participation in the recent Covenant Kids Run, making them winners of the title of Fittest School.

Covenant Kids Run is a one-mile track event that began at the World's Fair Park and ended on the 50-yard line at Neyland Stadium on April 2.

Individual schools registered teams for the run. The top school in each participating county was awarded a Fittest School plaque and a $250 donation by the Knoxville Track Club and Knoxville Area Coalition on Childhood Obesity. The cash donation benefits the school's physical education program.

"By providing some friendly competition between schools, the Fittest School Challenge is a great chance for kids to get excited about exercising while focusing on a common goal of achieving the title of Fittest School," said Beth LaFontaine of Covenant Health. "The goal of the challenge and the Covenant Kids Run is for East Tennessee youth to learn fitness skills at an early age that they can use to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of their lives."

The Covenant Kids Run Fittest School Challenge provides schools with training and exercise tools tailored specifically for children. Students train for a total of 25.2 miles, tracking their progress in a logbook, before the final race. On race day, students completed the one-mile Covenant Kids Run to raise their total mileage to 26.2, the distance of a full marathon.

A total of eight elementary and intermediate schools from counties across East Tennessee were given the title of Fittest School. Winning schools by county are:

• Anderson: Clinton Elementary School
• Blount: Foothills Elementary School
• Hamblen: Witt Elementary School
• Jefferson: New Market Elementary School
• Knox: Bluegrass Elementary
• Loudon: Eaton Elementary School
• Roane: Kingston Elementary School
• Sevier: Seymour Elementary School

Covenant Kids Run is sponsored by Covenant Health.

Published June 3, 2011