Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Willy Fit proving a success in its third year

WHS running group to host 5K race on Saturday morning

• By: Josh Kulla  
• Published: 3/11/2010 11:25:29 AM
• Last Updated: 3/11/2010 11:29:38 AM

Photo By: Josh KullaWilly Fit
Willy Fit members begin another workout last week as they prepare for the Helvetia Half-Marathon in June.

Everyone knows that proper nutrition and fitness lead to overall wellness.

But doing something about it often is quite another story. Take Wilsonville High School student Mike Salgado.

Heading into his junior year in September 2008, Salgado was 60 pounds overweight and suffering from sore knees every time he actually tried to run or walk any distance. At over 250 pounds, he realized that joining a varsity sports team was out of the question, at least for the time being.

But that’s when he discovered Willy Fit, a non-competitive running group at the high school that focuses primarily on teaching kids the keys to lifelong wellness through running and walking.

Now in its third year, Willy Fit training runs from February through June each spring, with the season culminating in the Helvetia Half-Marathon in Hillsboro. While it might be labled as a race, the goal of Willy Fit runners simply is to become fit enough to finish the 13.1 mile half-marathon.

“I was just tired of being lazy, and it was really hard to get up in the mornings,” said Salgado, who is now a senior. “My knees would always hurt when I would go and run because I was so overweight. But through Willy Fit I’ve lost 60 pounds.”

The group was formed in 2008 by Wilsonville High School assistant principal Carlos Sequeira, who remains active as a club coordinator and mentor.

“Really, it’s about mentoring kids and bringing them along,” said volunteer Kyle Ritchie, an avid runner and parent. “You know, slowing down if they need to slow down, offering encouragement. Sometimes they really need that.”

The first year, the group relied on the largesse of the Portland Running Company to help pay for shoes and other equipment needed by largely novice runners. It added up quickly, and organizers estimate it now costs some $300 per participant for the season for its 30 plus runners.

Grant money from the now defunct G.I. Joes Foundation helped the first year, said Kyle Ritchey. But that source of money dried up with the company’s bankruptcy, leaving them searching for new sources of money.

“Now, well, we can’t go to them anymore,” said Willy Fit advisor and WHS counselor Lyndi Tucker, “even though they’d given us a thousand dollars.”

That, however, is where the Willy Fit 5K found its genesis a year ago, when over $3,000 was raised by the inaugural race at the high school.

This year, Tucker hopes to top that figure by at least $1,000 with the second annual Willy Fit 5K Run/Walk, set for 8 a.m. Saturday, March 13, starting at Wilsonville High School. Race fees are $5 for students, $10 for adults.

Unlike last year, which saw runners confined to the Randall Stadium track, this year’s course will take runners and walkers along Wilsonville Road, through Memorial Park and back to the high school, which will host the start and finish of the race.

“The thing is, is that we get no money,” said Tucker. “It costs us almost $300 a student to go from start to finish when you think about the shoes, and some of the kids we have to buy clothing for. And the food, the nutrition and hydration is very expensive. They eat a lot and we’re buying them nutritious stuff, we’re not buying them junk.”

Joining Willy Fit was just the beginning of a life change for Salgado, who now sports a lean, athletic frame.
“I kept running through that summer,” he said, recounting his first season with the club. “Then I joined the cross country team, and now I’m running on the track team.”

Tucker said Salgado is a perfect example of the type of student the club is looking for.

“Non-competitive, that’s our key word,  non-competitive,” Tucker said. “And mentoring also is the big thing we do. We teach them about their bodies and the equipment they’ll need, and hopefully we’ll create lifelong athletes.”

Senior Brendan Bird is another second-year participant in Willy Fit. While Bird says he enjoys running, he is put off by the ultra-competitive world of varsity sports.

“I actually kind of enjoy running,” he said. “I think of it as a fun thing to do, not something competitive. It’s not fun to race someone else and you have to push yourself harder than you want to go.”

Cost also plays a factor for Bird and others.

“Also, its 300 bucks to join the cross country team,” he said, referencing the school district’s varsity athletic fees. “This is free, and it’s not as hardcore or competitive.”

And that’s how the group would like to keep it.

“We’re inviting the community to come and join us,” Tucker said.
 
At a Glance:
Willy Fit 5K Run/Walk
March 13, 2010
Registration 8:15 a.m.
Race starts 9 a.m.
Starting from Wilsonville High School parking lot, 6800 S.W. Wilsonville Road.
Cost: $5 students, $10 adults

Details:
Carlos Sequeira, 503-673-7606 or sequeirc@wlwv.k12.or.us
Lyndi Tucker, 503-673-7628 or tuckerl@wlwv.k12.or.us
Alyson Leatherman, 503-673-7631 or leathera@wlwv.k12.or.us

  (log in to rate)