FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kids of STEEL Pen Pal Program Welcomes Three New Runners
Serena Burla, Yihunlish Bekele and Rob Molke will correspond with Kids of
STEEL participants from Waynesburg Elementary
PITTSBURGH – Students at Waynesburg Central Elementary, who are training
for the upcoming Toyota Pittsburgh Kids Marathon, have the opportunity to
correspond with and be inspired by professional runners as part of the Kids
of STEEL program. Professional runner Serena Burla, 2011 DICK'S Sporting
Goods Pittsburgh Marathon winner Yihunlish Bekele and Team USA Minnesota
member Rob Molke will be the featured athletes participating in the Kids of
STEEL Pen Pal Program.
Beginning in March, Burla, Bekele and Molke will correspond with students
from Waynesburg Central Elementary for the two months leading up the 2016
DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend of events. During race
weekend, a picnic will be held in Point State Park for the runners and the
Waynesburg Elementary students.
Burla, a professional runner from St. Louis, Missouri, may maintain a low
profile, but she is no stranger to juggling her professional running career
and the demands of parenthood. After a finding a malignant tumor in her
hamstring in 2010 and not knowing if she would ever run again, Burla defied
the odds, and most recently, she had the fifth fastest 2016 U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials qualifying time.
"My main hope for the students in the Kids of STEEL program is that they
have fun and grow as a person," Burla said. "I hope it plants a seed inside
of them to be more confident, secure, happy and healthy through their
lives."
Bekele, winner of the 2011 DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, is
originally from Ethiopia and recently became a U.S. citizen.
"As part of the Kids of STEEL Pen Pal project, I will tell the kids of my
experiences with running and how I became an elite athlete," Bekele said.
"I will tell them about my background and my culture as an Ethiopian
athlete. I have shared some Ethiopian culture with my teammates in D.C.
such as some drills, music and even dance moves, perhaps I'll do the same
with the kids."
Rob Molke is a graduate of Syracuse University and a member of Team USA
Minnesota. Molke qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a
time of 1:03:07 at the 2015 USA Half Marathon Championship.
"I hope that the kids learn all about the life and training of a
professional distance runner, but more importantly, I hope that they are
inspired to lead healthy and active lifestyles through my interactions with
them," Molke said. "Running has taught me many valuable life skills that I
have been able to apply to my personal life such as discipline, motivation
and setting goals, so I also hope that the kids learn how running can help
them to succeed for the future."
P3R's Kids of STEEL Pen Pal Program is designed to give elementary schools
the opportunity to pen letters to accomplished runner and communicate
back-and-forth during the two months leading up to the DICK'S Sporting
Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend of events. More than 350 students have
had the opportunity to write to a professional athlete since the project
started in 2014.
Link to story:
http://www.thepittsburghmarathon.com/News-Item-Kids-of-STEEL-Pen-Pal-Progra
m-Welcomes-Three-New-Runners
Story contact: Kelsey Jackson, P3R Public Relations Manager, 417-425-9400
About the DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
The 2016 DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon is not just a race -
it's a journey. The race is your game - however you decide to play it. As a
competitor. A fundraiser. An enthusiast. A veteran. A team player. It's
whatever you want it to be. It's whatever you make it. It's your game… Run
it. Play it. Own it. Love it. #GameOnPGH!
Organized by the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. (P3R), the 8th
edition will be held April 30-May 1, 2016. For more information, go to:
thePittsburghMarathon.com
FACEBOOK: DSGPM TWITTER: @PghMarathon INSTAGRAM: PghMarathon HASHTAG:
#PghMarathon #GameOnPGH
About the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. (P3R)
P3R is a nonprofit organization that is passionate about promoting the love
of running and enhancing community access to health & fitness education and
activities. Best known for organizing the acclaimed annual DSG Pittsburgh
Marathon, we also run a variety of other high-quality races, events and
health & fitness programs throughout the Pittsburgh region. While many of
our races attract some of the nation's highest-profile professional
athletes, we offer activities for all ages and ability levels. The only
criterion for participation is a desire to be happy, healthy and active!
Learn more at: www.P3R.org
FACEBOOK: P3Revents TWITTER: @P3REvents
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