Why should age matter?
We talk about the problems and prevalence of obesity until the cows come home. With the fast food industry booming, this is a huge problem these days. We talk about kids who won't get off the couch or part with their video games to engage in the "real" world, and here we have a child who is energetic, fit and determined and we tell him "no" he can't run with his dad in a race? That's ridiculous.
PEI's 10-year-old Tyler Heggie loves to run. He has endless energy says his father who encourages his son to engage in the sport of running. Today though, he's questioning why he's not being permitted to take part in an upcoming marathon event. Last October Heggie competed in the annual race, finishing impressively in just over four and a half hours. After conditioning and plenty of practice it was his first official race and this year he had high hopes of bettering his time. UNTIL race organizers decided to adopt a new set of guidelines that say nobody under the age of 14 can compete. Hmmm...
"Some people have these antiquated ideas about running," says his dad Andrew. "It wasn't that long ago that women weren't supposed to be running marathons, either. Some people say running marathons will stunt a child's growth (REALLY?) and I say seatbelts can kill people, too, but the average person knows that most of the time they are going to save your life.
"Every sport has an inherent danger, but the overall effects of a healthy lifestyle, of running, are better than not running or not exercising. Our kids are getting lazier and more obese every day - just look at the entrance to your local junior high school." Here, here.
It makes me think back to when I was a child. We ran, we biked and we walked everywhere. There were no video games or junk food falling from the cupboards and I think we were far better off because of it.
Tyler Heggie is young and fit. He runs, plays hockey, has active interests and is on a great path to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and we're going to tell him he should sit by on the sidelines to watch others pass him by? Do we seriously want to discourage him and convey the message that a physical challenge isn't doable or a healthy option? He's a kid. Kids run.
