Kenyan-born John Damiano won the StarFit Kids Super Nova 5K on Saturday at America the Beautiful Park, clocking 17 minutes, 56 seconds on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. Jennifer Dutzlaf was fastest among the women at 24:01.
And while the racing was good, the event - a fundraiser for StarFit Kids - was really a celebration of healthful living.
Sabra Zirkle and Lelia Davis work to educate kids about the importance of fitness and good nutrition. Their nonprofit, StarFit Kids, takes that message to the schools.
"We know that we need to help our kids stay active because Colorado is now gaining weight as fast as the rest of the country, and we used to be one of the top states for fitness and health," Zirkle said.
StarFit Kids provides nutritional education and encourages students to exercise.
"We go into PE classes and do a little nutritional education," Zirkle said. "We do physically active games that reinforce the topic and basically get the kids moving."
Zirkle said the program reaches about 1,000 school kids a year. She hopes to reach more with the help of grants and corporate donations.
"We know that 50 percent of overweight kids at age 5 will go on to become overweight adults," Zirkle said.