Ed Barney is crazy to run once again.
The Federal Way School Board member is an active participant in the district’s Elementary Track Program — this time with a jog-a-thon on Nov. 21 at Sequoyah Middle School, 3425 S. 360th St., Auburn.
Joggers can set lap goals, based on age and ability. Each jogger will receive a commemorative T-shirt for their participation.
Each jogger will receive a pledge sheet, and Barney is hoping for each jogger to get 10 pledges.
The track will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21. Participants can jog their laps at any time, but kickoff festivities will begin at 9 a.m.
The track is 1/4 mile and each participant will be issued a lap tag, which will be punched each time the jogger reaches the starting point. After completing their jog, participants will hand in their lap tags, and a volunteer will record each jogger’s lap total on their pledge sheet and return it. Joggers can collect any outstanding pledges and turn them into the school district by Dec. 4.
This isn’t the first time Barney has run to raise money for the program. He ran the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic earlier this year — the whole 200 miles over five days.
Federal Way is one of a handful of school districts in the nation that have an elementary track program. This year, there were more than 2,000 students who participated in the program at no cost.
“With the cuts we continue to get, everything is up to be cut,” Barney said. “I want to make sure that a program such as this stays in place for kids. Running is one of the cheapest ways a kid can stay in shape. The kids love it. I would hate to see it go away.”
Barney has been involved in the elementary track program since the 1980s, when his kids first started in the program. His kids are still involved in running. His son Mike is the assistant track coach for long distance at Decatur High School, and his daughter was a volunteer assistant coach at Lake Grove Elementary this past year.
Learn more
• To ensure that each participant receives a T-shirt in his or her size, e-mail Ed Barney at edbarney@mail.com with a list of names, school and size by Nov. 6. Late orders may have to wait a few weeks for delivery of T-shirts.
• Joggers need to bring their own water and snacks.
• To donate to the elementary track program, send contributions to the district office, 31405 18th Ave. S., Federal Way, WA 98003. Be sure to mark that the donation is designated for the elementary track fund. Call (253) 945-2000 to learn more.
• For mailing information or for more details, visit www.crazy2run.com.
