FAQ
1. What is Mighty Milers?
Mighty Milers is a school and community-based program that instills the daily habit of running and/or walking for physical fitness and overall health in elementary and middle school children.
2. How does it work?
Schools and community centers provide students the opportunity to run or walk at least 2-5 times a week. Children set goals to run and/or walk 26.2 – 104.8 miles (one to four marathons) over the course of the year and earn incentives for reaching milestones along the way. Classes can earn incentives as well.
3. When do Mighty Milers run?
Mighty Milers is designed to be integrated into the school day. It can provide classes with a fun, focusing, fitness break; make recess time productive and orderly; supplement or become a school’s physical education program; and also be done before or after school.
4. How long does Mighty Milers take?
Mighty Milers can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day.
5. What are the eligibility requirements for being accepted into Mighty Milers?
To be eligible for the program a site must serve at least 50 students in the Mighty Milers program and have each student run/walk a minimum of half a mile at least two days per week over a substantial period of time such that each student will be able to run at least one marathon of miles (26.2) and preferably two marathon of miles (52.4) or more per year.
6. How much does it cost?
Schools that have 50% or more of the school population eligible for free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) qualify to receive the program for free. Schools that are below 50% FRPL are charged $1,500 per year and $5-$15 per child depending on the incentive plan chosen.
7. What is FRPL and how to I find it for my school?
It is the percentage of students within a given school who are eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch. Contact school personnel to find out what the FRPL percentage is at your school.
8. What staff do we need?
While we ask that one person from each school/organization serve as the Site Coordinator and take on the role of overseeing the program and communicating with NYRR, we encourage multiple faculty/staff members to get involved. Anyone from a classroom teacher to a recess aid can serve as a Mighty Milers Session Leader. Session Leaders are responsible for supervising students while running, tracking laps run by students, and entering updates into the online database.
9. What is the Mighty Milers Database?
The Mighty Milers Database is a web-based system for tracking student progress. Students, teachers and principals have access to the database through a username and password. Students get to view their progress against their goal, the incentives they have and can earn, as well as the progress of other classes in their schools and other schools in the program. Teachers can enroll students, update mileage and run reports. There are also additional resources and links designed specifically for the user type.
10. What is the benefit?
The Mighty Milers program gives kids the opportunity and encouragement to get moving, release energy constructively, improve their aerobic fitness, set and strive for individual goals, and bond with their class and school/organization on setting and achieving collective goals. It also helps improve attention and behavior in the classroom, improve academic performance and test scores, and help meet the state-mandated physical education standards for total number of physical activity minutes per week. And ultimately, it teaches students the enjoyment, importance and habit of physical activity as a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
11. What about the incentives?
Students earn a membership card in the beginning, certificates along the way and at each marathon of miles (26.2, 52.4, 78.6 and 104.8) they will receive a special medal. Classes will receive a ‘congratulations!’ poster for accumulating miles at three milestones; 500, 1000 and 2500. Additional incentive packages which include items such as pencils, stickers and t-shirts can be purchased.
12. What type of support do we receive?
The Mighty Milers program allows schools/organizations to create or enhance a physical activity program with little or no physical education assets. NYRR provides full support, including training, equipment, access to the Mighty Milers Database and incentive management, as well as a Regional Coordinator assigned to your program. Students, Site Coordinators and/or Session Leaders and Principals have personal access to the Mighty Milers Database. The Regional Coordinator is there to provide assistance and support when needed.
13. Can children with disabilities do the program?
Many schools have Adaptive Physical Education classes participate in Mighty Milers with great success.
14. Can schools join the program anytime throughout the year?
Yes, we accept schools on a rolling basis with the greatest number of acceptances in September/October and February/March.
15. Is there an academic connection?
A set of lesson plans complementary to the Mighty Milers program for each grade level along with a workbook for students which includes a running log and fun activities they can do on their own are both available upon request at cost. Lesson plans and educational games for students are also available online via the Mighty Milers Database.
16. Do teachers get incentives if they run with the children?
We encourage adults to participate in the program as session leaders however, only students are allowed to be entered in the Mighty Milers Database and receive program incentives.
17. Can parents get involved with the program?
Parents may serve as volunteers at the school and help with the program logistics. We also encourage students to bring the habit of running home with them and get their family involved in running as well. However, only mileage walked/run by students in school during a Mighty Milers Session can be entered in the database.
18. I work at a community center, do I qualify?
Community Centers may apply for the program, but must meet the same eligibility requirements listed above. They can use the same FRPL statistic for the local school.
19. Do I need to be a physical education teacher?
No, as long as you have principal support, anybody who is willing to take on the role of the Site Coordinator can implement the program at a site.
20. I am a parent, how can I get my child’s school involved?
Talk to the principal at the school, introduce him/her to Mighty Milers and request they apply for the program.
21. Is this a year-round program?
Mighty Milers can be done year-round or for just a portion of the year as long as each child is given the opportunity to collectively run a minimum of one marathon of miles (26.2).
22. My school doesn’t have a gym, can we still join?
Yes, Mighty Milers Sessions can be run in various locations including the gym, cafeteria, auditorium, playground, school block, hallways, etc.
23. My school doesn’t have physical education, is that ok?
Yes, Mighty Milers is a great way to add physical education to your school’s curriculum and help the school reach the state standards for the number of minutes per week each child is required to participate in physical education.
24. How many children do we have to enroll?
We only accept schools who will serve 50 or more students, however we encourage the entire school to get involved with Mighty Milers.
25. Can my whole school participate?
We encourage you to get your entire school to participate in Mighty Milers.
26. How often do we have to run?
Each Mighty Milers participant must be given the opportunity to complete at least two half-mile running/walking sessions per week to be considered for the program.
27. How much of my time will this take?
The amount of time varies based on the size of your school and the number of additional personnel at the school who are committed to Mighty Milers. After the initial set-up, which may take up to a few hours, the Mighty Milers program can take as little as fifteen minutes of administrative work per week. This does not include the time spent in actual Mighty Milers sessions with the children which can be as little as fifteen minutes each.
28. Can I get paid to do this?
New York Road Runners does not pay school personnel to implement the program, so you would need to speak to your principal or director about the possibility of getting paid through the school.
29. How are we trained?
All new schools receive a start-up kit with an instructional CD, a Database Quick Guide and all other materials needed to start the program. A Regional Coordinator is assigned to each site to help guide you through the process and answer any questions.
30. Do we need to purchase any additional equipment?
All equipment needed to implement the program comes in your start-up kit. All you need is access to the internet to enroll your students and update their progress regularly throughout the year.
31. How often do students receive incentives?
Student progress is automatically calculated and incentives are sent on a weekly basis.
32. Does my principal/director need to be involved?
You must have support from your principal or director before implementing the program. The principal or director and the site coordinator will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding at the start of each school year.
33. How old is the youngest program participant?
What about high school students?
You may have Pre-K and K students participate in the program, however, we recommend starting with a quarter mile. Preference will be given to applicants who are working with elementary and/or middle school children.
34. Do children carry over their miles run into the next year?
At the beginning of each program year, all students’ mileage is reset to zero for a fresh start, but the total mileage run from the year before will be saved.
