ING Run for Something Better

MARCH 25, 2008

You are helping Miami kids break records!

Thanks to your support, over 3,000 kids stepped in for the final 1.2 miles of the 2008 ING Miami Marathon in January. This completed the progressive 26.2-mile marathon they had started as part of ING’s Run For Something Better (IRFSB) program.

Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of donors like you, this year’s number of participants more than doubled last year’s already record-breaking participation in the program, when Miami Dade County Public Schools sent over 1,500 to the Marathon. By helping to fund running and fitness programs in schools, you enabled more than 10,000 kids throughout the district to join IRFSB.

“This program opened the door to a new world of fitness, goal setting and perseverance,” said Dr. Jayne Greenberg, District Director of Physical Education and Health Literacy.

For 14-year-old Alexis Dahl, ING Run For Something Better® has brought on a fitness transformation. “Before I started logging miles for the marathon last year, I didn’t think I could run at all,” she said. “But after running every single day, it got easier.” She thought, “I can do this” — and joined the school track team this school year.

It is lifestyle changes like these that the ING Run For Something Better® is sparking nationwide ― and your support has helped put you alongside the students every step of the way.

January’s marathon finished up a weekend of ING events that had begun with the Miami Heat/San Antonio Spurs game, at which ING presented a check for almost $140,000 to the Fit Miami Foundation, showing its commitment to community health and fitness.

“The ING Run For Something Better® exposes young people to fitness in a way many of them never have experienced,” said Catherine Smith, CEO of US Insurance, who spoke at the starting line and ran alongside the students for their last mile. “We hope it puts many on the right track toward more physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.”