FAQ – Coaches

It’s simple. Your device (phone or iPad) becomes a scanner. Each runner has an ID card with a unique barcode.  

You set track lengths, and distance equivalents for activities, within your account. Upon completion of each lap, you scan a runner’s ID card. All miles are accounted for and no WiFi is needed.  

On your coach dashboard, you can easily see each runner’s progress, print reports, provide and sort data to support minutes of MVPA, and share your insights with your administration, parents and runners. 

Be sure to continue with your account creation and download the Marathon Kids app. If you need help along the way, check out our how-to video series.

The Marathon Kids program is completely customizable to fit the needs of your schools or organization.You get to design the run club to meet your needs. In a school, it could look like:

• Before- or After-school Run Club – Any size or age of participants, running or walking anywhere from one to five days a week, with the logistics set by the coach. 
• Full-School Run Club – Teachers encourage kids to log miles during PE class, classroom brain breaks, and recess.  
• Ultra Run Club – Get the whole school onboard to create a culture of health on campus! Offer opportunities for teachers and students alike to run or walk during class and recess, before and after school, and even at home with parents. Marathon Kids is embedded within the community and schedule.

Depending on the number of volunteers or the student to adult ratio that you are comfortable with, the number is up to you. There is no limit to the number of kids who can participate in a single club. We have run clubs with 10 kids and clubs with 100+ running before or after school. We also have full-school implementations, with up to 1,200 runners participating throughout the school day.

It’s up to you! Maybe both! We know most kids are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of heart pumping exercise everyday, so every opportunity to run helps. You can increase the number of active minutes your runners receive per day or per week. First ask, yourself a few questions:

• What time of the day works best for our school or organization? 
• Do I have more adult supporters in the morning or after school?
• Would this club be competing with other after-school clubs or tutoring?

The best answer is whatever is right for you and your school or organization. We know kids will go farther the more opportunities they have to track their miles. The benefits of being active, along with forming healthy habits, increases when runners have multiple opportunities to run or walk. Whether you choose one or five days a week, your participants are increasing their active minutes and that’s key for their health and well-being.

If you are offering a running club more than once a week, you can meet as little as 10 to 20 minutes each session. The majority of our clubs meet for 30 to 45 minutes or longer, if they only meet once a week. The length is really up to you. The average child can walk or run at least one mile in 20 minutes.

No grants are required to participate! As of June 2020, Marathon Kids offers FREE programming with FREE digital lap tracking. Everything you need to get kids moving is included.  If you’re interested in purchasing low-cost incentives for your run club, check out our eStore.

Yes! Visit the Marathon Kids eStore for low-cost options.

You may choose to give your runners a pace for their run club session. However, the Marathon Kids program is designed to meet kids wherever they are in their fitness journey. The most important aspects to focus on are setting goals, tracking mileage, and celebrating progress. 

Some of our printable run club resources can be found in the Spanish resource tab. We are always working on creating more Spanish content and are open to requests for new materials. Contact support@marathonkids.org to share any needs or suggestions.

Our creative coaches have come up with several great ideas for effectively using ID cards during run club. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Laminate ID cards on cardstock and have kids carry the card. 
• Order clear plastic ID holders to place the ID card in to protect it. Kids can hold these as they run (cards are 3” x 4).
• Order clear plastic ID holders and either ID clips or lanyards for students to wear when they run.

Creating a system for organizing ID cards, and training your runners, is essential for success. Here are a few suggestions from Marathon Kids coaches:

• Utilize student leadership roles or classroom jobs
• Have your ID cards sorted by class and grade level and use color coding to make it even easier 
• Use a container for each grade level or have lanyards hung on the wall. 
• Use pocket charts in the classroom for kids to quickly grab their cards.

You can log in to the Marathon Kids Connect web application and print additional Runner ID cards if needed. You may also consider printing multiple copies of the runner ID cards and keeping them on hand in case a student loses theirs.

1. Set a cadence for yourself to print the Runner Mileage Report and make it available for runners to check. 

2. Runners can scan their ID Card by selecting I AM A RUNNER from the www.marathonkids.org/login site. No account creation is needed. Once they scan their ID card, their very own dashboard appears!

• Provide training for your org leader, coaches, assistant coaches, and scanner-only on how to use the Marathon Kids app.
• Be sure your org leader, coaches, and assistant coaches bookmark the website to access dashboards and data quickly. 
• Make sure everyone downloads the Marathon Kids app.
• Scanner-only volunteers will join your live session to scan laps. They do not need login credentials. 

Kids who have support from parents at home are more likely to crush their goals, so be sure to invite parents to follow along. We recommend double-checking your parent contact information before extending invitations and before accepting requests.