From road races and a marathon finish line to bouncy castles, hula hoop classes and booths promoting healthy eating tips, the YMCA of Northern BC focused on fun and family for its Healthy Kids Day.
Prince George was one of more than 1,000 communities across Canada to join the annual event Sunday as it took over the YMCA parking lot and Masich Place Stadium with public events.
For some 60 kids, it was the culmination of a months-long commitment to run a full marathon... one that was completed in achievable one-kilometre increments, that is.
They ran their last three laps to make the 42-kilometre mark and helped kick off the event as a crowd of supporters cheered them on.
"I did more than one kilometre," said seven-year-old Wasim Aka with a grin. "I did it on purpose."
While Aka said that extra lap was to "impress people," his mother Karima Fredj said he's always eager to go the extra mile.
In the months leading up to Sunday's big finale, his training with the YMCA was never enough for the outgoing Aka.
"Driving home he will ask me to let him run," said Fredj.
So, she'd pull over the car, and let him jog on the sidewalk while the car rolled along beside him.
"He's a runner," she said, and the program was another helpful outlet for him. "It's amazing"
Nanguz becomes YMCA's official mascot
Before Aka and the others took the track, they were treated with a new friendly face to lead the warm up.
The kids-focused occasion became the coming out for Canada Winter Games mascot Nanguz as the official friendly red fox for the YMCA.
"The legacy of Nanguz continues in the community," said Mike Davis, Games marketing director.
Nanguz led the warm up, fittingly to the Village People's "The YMCA."
"Nanguz has been a really great symbol of the spirit of what the Canada Winter Games brought," said Amanda Alexander, CEO of the YMCA.
Any time the fuzzy fox is booked for an event, those funds will go towards the Grade 6 program, which offers free memberships to that age group.
Early health habits
It's all about making those healthy lifestyle habits early, Alexander said.
"That's a lifelong outcome," she said. "If we can create a positive connection with being healthy you create greater self esteem."
Many, like Alexander's daughter Alicia Somerville, built off their participation in Healthy Kids Day, creating bigger fitness goals.
The 12-year-old ran in the 5-km run for the first time and said she loves running.
"I like that it keeps you healthy," said Somerville, who placed fourth in her category. "As a person I have a lot of energy. That's one way of me using my energy."
Stephanie Mikalishen, YMCA events coordinator, said the day is a way of letting families see how easy those options are.
The hope is that they take some of the tips home, like eating together as a family or drinking lots of water. A large factor in childhood obesity is sweet drinks, so those should be avoided too, she said.
Citing the 2015 YMCA Healthy Kids Report, Mikalishen noted that while 85 per cent of parents see themselves as role models, less than a third said they were doing an "excellent" job.
Most said lack of time was the biggest barrier, but the hope is that health can be incorporated into everyday habits.
"The idea of today is showing how much fun health can be," Mikalishen said. "It's just a great day to celebrate healthy families."
