Morning Mile students collectively clock 1,110 miles before school

Exercising for optimal learning and mental health

[ by Kendra Walker ]

Even for a town full of active and outdoorsy families, mornings before school can be chaotic between getting ready for the day, prepping meals, gathering homework and getting out the door in time for the starting bell. But despite the early a.m. rush, a group of elementary students at Crested Butte Community School have stepped up to the challenge and taken their mornings even further — running a mile (or more) around the soccer field before school starts.

The program is called the Morning Mile, a before-school walking/running/skiing program that gives kids the opportunity to start the day in an active way. Throughout the school year, CBCS elementary students are invited to meet at 7:40 a.m. and take laps around the soccer field before school starts each morning. The local program stems from the national Morning Mile nonprofit, which aims to fight childhood obesity and allow students to expend energy on the field, leaving them more likely to focus and excel in their academics once the school day begins.

Parent volunteer Cassia Cadenhead explains the many benefits of moving and exercise for kids before a full day of learning. “It’s good for brain chemistry, it helps kids focus in school, it’s a way to make new friends, it’s helping show kids that exercise is huge for mental health,” she says. “Your brain chemistry post-exercise is ideal for learning. I was really motivated to provide this space for the kids.” 

Cadenhead was excited to get involved with the program as an opportunity to get moving with her kids before school. She also notes the book Spark by John J. Ratey as additional inspiration, which discusses how schools that have implemented early morning physical education saw increases in positive student behavior, drops in violence issues and improved test scores. 

Cadenhead says that during the 2023/2024 school year, the participating elementary school students ran, walked or skied a collective 1,110 miles before school, equal to 4,995 laps around the CBCS soccer field. “This means they have run ALL the way to the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica and are 11 miles out into the ocean!” she says. 

Throughout the school year, Cadenhead and other parent volunteers helped count laps to keep track of the students’ mileage, and participants received a necklace running charm for every five miles they completed. “The kids could do as many laps as they wanted to or had time to do,” she says. “We wanted them to make it whatever they want it to be. We’re trying to keep it as open to everyone as possible,” she says. 

A total of 151 students participated at some point last school year. Cadenhead was pleased with the turnout, “On our biggest day we had over 40 kids going around the track,” she said. “Thanks to all the families who helped volunteer, we were able to offer it five days a week and had so many kids participating. It’s really impressive to see that they’re all choosing to run or walk or ski before school, they’re all intrinsically motivated. They were even out there running in five degrees during the winter.”

Crested Butte Nordic helped keep the program alive during the winter by providing ski rentals and grooming the school track to make running and skiing feasible in the deep snow. “I’m so grateful the Nordic Center groomed the winter track and took a risk and donated ski rentals,” says Cadenhead. “There’s not enough indoor recreation space to take the Morning Mile inside in the winter. We rallied 13 Nordic before-school days and had 23 kids skiing by the end of the season. The kids thought it was so cool to ski before school.”

Cadenhead also says the teacher feedback was very positive. “They were noticing a difference in the classroom and improved behavior from the high-energy kids, saying that it was an awesome opportunity to get some of that energy out,” she says. “The vibe in the morning was so positive. I saw a lot of kids making more friends, everyone is excited to be out there having a great time.”

With the new school year in motion, Cadenhead said the Morning Mile program will be back in full swing starting the second week of school on Tuesday, September 3. From 7:40 to 8:10 a.m., students can once again run or walk before school starts. Luckily, the school expansion construction won’t impact the program this fall. “We will be taking the program as far as we can with the school construction in play. But full send, we’ll start the second week of school at the normal soccer field,” says Cadenhead. “We hope to logistically be able to continue through the winter with a winter track that CB Nordic generously creates/maintains. It might be trickier in the winter and we might not be able to groom a Nordic track this year, but we’ll see what we can do.”

Cadenhead is grateful to the CBCS PTA for their support. “The PTA has generously donated 16 clipboards, fun running stickers, batons and more to help this program as it gains momentum.”

She hopes to see the number of participants grow this year. “I would love to see 100 kids running before school,” she said. “I really hope the kids who participated last year are champions and encourage their friends to join.”

Student participant Adelaide Cadenhead loves the Morning Mile and encourages her fellow classmates to join. “Do Morning Mile to help keep your ski streak alive. I was able to ski 84 days in a row because I skied before school.”

“It’s fun, helps me focus and gets me energized for class,” says participant Keiran King, who achieved 104 miles last year. 

Cadenhead says the students will also vote on which destination goal they will be running towards, New York City, Toronto or Mexico City. “I think the kids really enjoy having this visual goal of where they’re at, and even though it’s an individual thing it’s also them coming together as a class, a grade and as a school. They are all part of the collective effort, regardless how many miles each kid does individually.”

New this year, Morning Mile will have track relay batons as well as a Sibling Division that will tally which sibling team runs the most laps. “Rally your family and see how far you can go!” says Cadenhead. 

Cadenhead also notes that there will be a bulletin board near the gymnasium in the school displaying weekly updates with kids’ names, pictures and results. Information and results will also be in the Titan Times. 

Cadenhead is looking for more families willing to volunteer and participate to help the program run five days a week in the mornings. “We have families volunteering to host the program Monday, Wednesday and Friday so far. We are looking for help Tuesday and Thursday,” she says. “It’s an easy, 30-minute volunteer slot, we’ll be moving and playing music and we will have the kids tracking their laps this year.” 

Cadenhead recognizes the challenges of getting out the door in the mornings. “I know it can be a lot for families. But if there’s a way to shift your schedule even 10 minutes to get there early and take some laps, everyone would have a totally different morning experience,” she says. “I love the camaraderie that I see out there. It’s a great way for new students and the little kindergarteners to make new friends. My goal is for students to understand this is an option to help their mental health. This is a huge opportunity to improve everyone’s day. The intention is to run the program as many days as we can.”

If you are interested in volunteering with the Morning Mile program, contact Cassia Cadenhead at Cassia.Cadenhead@gmail.com