With a little over a week left to register for the Fit for Bloomsday...Fit for Life youth fitness program, Bloomsday organizers have already received sign-ups from over 30 elementary schools representing 3,000 youngsters. Before the entry deadline of Monday, January 28th , those numbers are expected to climb to over 80 schools and 6,000 kids.

“In a few weeks there’ll be thousands of youngsters in the region running, jogging and walking to get in shape as part of the Fit For Bloomsday program,” said Bloomsday Board member Jeff Reed, Chair of the Fit for Bloomsday Committee. “While the national news about youth fitness activity is often discouraging, this program continues to have an impact on the fitness of children in the Spokane region.”

Fit For Bloomsday...Fit For Life—dubbed Fit For Bloomsday for short—was developed by Bloomsday volunteers in cooperation with PE instructors, coaches and parents in the Spokane area. The Lilac Bloomsday Association provides information, materials, structure and incentives for the 8-10 week program, which is administered by school personnel and volunteers at participating schools. Now in its 22nd year, the program prepares the kids to run or walk Bloomsday while teaching them the importance of fitness, nutrition and safety.

Schools can sign up for Fit for Bloomsday by downloading an application form from Bloomsday’s web site (www.bloomsdayrun.org) and returning it to the Bloomsday office by January 28th . Kids and adults who want to sign-up for the 32nd annual Lilac Bloomsday Run can register online now at www.bloomsdayrun.org .

Contact: Don Kardong donkardong@bloomsdayrun.org

# # #