"We Run This City" Youth Marathon Program
We Run This City Youth Marathon Program is a collaboration between the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, and the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods/Center for Health Promotion (PRCHN/CHPR).
The 14-week program strives to teach young people to set and achieve goals by preparing them to run in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. The students actually run about 25 of the 26 miles in gym class during the school year and the final 1.2 miles at the actual marathon downtown. Some highly-motivated students opt to run a 10k race on the marathon day. Crossing the finish line is just a part of the experience - students leave the program with greater self-confidence and increased levels of fitness and endurance.
To learn more about the program, follow this link to visit the official YMCA page for We Run This City. To check out multimedia coverage of past events and to be kept up to date on future developments, visit and join the Marathon Program's Facebook Page. Follow this link to learn more about how to get your school involved in We Run This City.
Tara Taylor,
"We Run This City" Program Director
Our Role in Evaluation
The PRCHN/CHPR coordinates the evaluation of the program by examining the program's impact on students' health, activity, and school performance by collecting data on these factors before and after the program. Volunteers assisting in the evaluation include CMSD school nurses, nursing and nutrition students from Case Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State University Students. Follow this link to learn more about opportunities for volunteering or sponsoring We Run This City.
Each year of the Marathon Program, participating CMSD students are asked to take part in pre- and post- program assessments. The assessments consist of surveys measuring self-reported items such as school achievement, motivation for physical activity, self-confidence and self-efficacy, peer and family relationships, environmental support for healthy behavior, sleeping habits, and depression. The survey is administered by way of an audio-enhanced personal digital assistant (APDA). In addition to the survey, students are asked to undergo physical assessments where measures of blood pressure, height, weight, hip circumference, waste circumference, and endurance are obtained.
From these surveys and measurements, PRCHN/CHPR researchers are able to determine direction and amount of change in each of those dimensions. Follow this link to read a PRCHN/CHPR data brief for the 2009 Marathon Program to learn more about changes identified in the 368 who participated in pre- and post-testing. Highlights include decreased blood pressure, increased endurance, and numerous reports of improved self-image and relationships with others. Follow this link to view a comprehensive slideshow on the 2009 Marathon Program evaluation results.
Participants in the Marathon Program listen to PRCHN researchers explain their process of evaluation in 2010
Download: Printable 2010 Evaluation Report by the PRCHN
Additional Info on the History of the Marathon Program
Follow this link to read an article originally published in the Plain Dealer on the 2008 Marathon Program, that gives detail on the history of the program as well as the PRCHN/CHPR's role in evaluation. Here's a fun summary of the 2009 program results.
PRCHN's Marathon Program Staff
Elaine A. Borawski, PhD
Principal Investigator
Sarah Drewes, MA
Research Coordinator
Laura Danosky, MPH
Data Manager
Other staff assist in administration of the program and data collection.
Visit our Faculty & Staff page to contact any of these individuals.
Marathon Program Partners & Funders
