Cowtown C.A.L.F. Kids Ready for 5k

It will be a busy weekend on the streets of Cowtown for the Cowtown Marathon.

More than 30,000 runners are expected to take part in the races on Saturday and Sunday.

A total of around 8,000 will run in the Cook Children's 5K on Saturday, including many students from Fort Worth ISD schools.

Many of those running are among the 5,300 who received grants for new shoes and Cowtown entries through the race's CALF (Children's Activities for Life & Fitness) program. CALF is funded through proceeds from the race and works to promote a healthy lifestyle.

On Friday, a few dozen of those benefiting students, hit the track at Burton Hill Elementary in preparation for the 5K. They were joined by two big time runners who'll be competing in their own races on Sunday.

They were on hand to give a bit of a pep talk and share their running experiences with the students.

“Even on the days where I was really exhausted from the work out, I felt better in my brain and in my spirit then I had ever felt,” said Jeff Galloway.

Galloway was a member of the 1972 Olympic Team and will be running his first Cowtown half-marathon on Sunday.

He was joined by Camille Herron, an Oklahoma City native who's seeking to break the American record in the 50K in Sunday's Ultra Marathon.

"Three hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds,” she said.

Their achievements aside, the outing was really all about the students who’ll be lacing up their sneakers for their first 5k opportunity. It’s something they’ve actually already been doing in P.E.

“These kids, chances are, are going to make some big achievements in life and running plays a big part in that,” Galloway said.

Galloway talked about how running and exercise can help benefit the brain and stimulate learning. 

Herron, a 20-time marathon winner, was blown away by the 5K runs the students bragged about.

“I can’t believe it, I didn't run that far until I was in high school, so to see them their age running that far, that's incredible,” Herron said.

And Galloway says the CALF program itself and the visits to the schools are just as incredible.

“This is just a fabulous community project that will keep on giving,” he said.