Dade Middle Schools Converge On Streets Of Downtown Miami For ING Run For Something Better At ING Miami Marathon

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Jan 24, 2013, 09:15 ET

MIAMI, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 5,000 Dade County middle school students will run the final 1.2 miles of the 2013 ING Run For Something Better® program on Sunday, January 27 as part of festivities at the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon®.

The students have been accumulating miles for their marathon for the past several months as part of the 10-year-old program that is designed to promote health and fitness to kids. The run will begin near the steps of the county courthouse at 11 a.m. and wind down Flagler Street to the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon® finish line, where they will enjoy the experience of finishing through the half-marathon chute.

"Through Physical Education, students train for the ING Run For Something Better program," said Dr. Jayne Greenberg, District Director for Physical Education and Health Literacy for Dade County Schools. "The program began as a goal-setting program. It not only teaches you about the importance of being physically active, but also how to set a goal, work hard toward your goal and to achieve your goal.

"If you can set a goal to be physically active every day, you can take that same goal-setting and apply it to everything that you do. We are trying to apply it to teachers, administrators, custodians, and cafeteria staffs. We want everybody in Miami-Dade Schools to be healthy."

The Miami program for kids began in 2003 with a few hundred Dade County middle school students and has grown every year. Now the swarm of youngsters, clad in orange ING Run For Something Better® shirts and orange laces, racing to the finish line is as much a part of South Florida's largest distance running event as the Marathon itself.

The kids participating in ING Run For Something Better® have executed a 15-week training program at their respective schools, running a minimum of 25 miles over that period of time. The 1.2 mile finale is a celebration run of their participation in the program, and the participating kids will receive orange shoe laces, a t-shirt, a medal and a post-race snack upon completion of their final mile. While there are 5,000 kids running the final mile on race day, 11,000 students are participating in the ING Run For Something Better® program at their school.

"The ING Run For Something Better® program becomes an important initiative to develop an appreciation for physical activity through running among middle school age students," said Dave Scott, General Manager of US Road Sports & Entertainment of Florida and Race Director of the ING Miami Marathon. "Each passing year this program has grown and these youngsters will be joining the ranks of a growing health and fitness generation. I honestly believe that kids love to run and proof of that is very visible on Sunday morning when that wave of Orange hits Biscayne Boulevard."

The schools participating in the ING Run For Something Better® program are Ada Merritt K8, Allapattah Middle, Belen Jesuit, Brownsville Middle, Carol City Middle, Charter School at Waterstone, Coral Gables Prep, Cutler Ridge Middle, Devon Aire K8, Doctor's Charter School, Good Shepherd Catholic, Hammocks Middle, Henry Filer Middle, Hialeah Gardens Middle, Highland Oaks Middle, Howard D. McMillan, Immaculate Conception School, Jose Marti MAST Academy, Lawton Chiles Middle, Miami Lakes K8, Nautilus Middle, Palmetto Middle, Peskoe K8, Pincrest Academy South Charter, Richmond Heights Middle, Rockway Middle, Somerset Academy Silver Palms, South Dade Middle, St. Agnes Academy, St. John Neumann, St. Rose of Lima, St. Theresa, Vineland K8, and Winston Park K8.

Pep Rally to Get Students Pumped to 'Run For Something Better' at the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon

WHEN: Friday, January 25, 2013
Pep Rally begins at 9:00 a.m. ET

WHERE:      Vineland K-8 Center
                       8455 Southwest 119th Street
                       Miami, FL 33156

WHO:           - Students set to run at the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon
                      -  School officials
                      - ING U.S./U.S. Road Sports spokespeople
                      -  Dane Rauschenberg, extreme runner and author of See Dane
                         Run, One Man, 52 Weekends, 52 Marathons
                      -  Lisa Dorfman, The Running Nutritionist® and director of the
                         graduate program of Nutrition for Health & Human Performance,
                         University of Miami

WHAT: ING Run For Something Better (ING RFSB), a program to help kids learn the benefits of running and regular exercise, is holding a pep rally to prepare students participating in the ING Run for Something Better Miami held at the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, January 27. At the Sunday event, 5,000 youth runners will log the last mile in their cumulative running program to reach a full Marathon distance.

About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city's culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.

About ING
ING U.S. is a subsidiary of Dutch-based ING Groep N.V. In the U.S., the ING (NYSE: ING) family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, which includes life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits and financial planning. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves approximately 15 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit http://ing.us.

About ING Run For Something Better®
ING RFSB was developed by ING U.S. to introduce kids to the benefits of running, a habit of physical fitness, and healthy lifestyle choices. Since 2006, ING RFSB has worked with the Fit Miami Foundation and Miami-Dade County Schools to implement a 15-week cumulative running program for middle school students in grades 6-8 in Miami-Dade County. Since that time, more than 36,000 kids from 39 Miami-Dade County Schools have participated and have cumulatively run over 900,000 miles. Nationally, more than 155,000 students nationwide have participated in ING RFSB-supported programs and have run over 4.5 million miles. For more information about the national effort, visit http://www.orangelaces.com/.

About the ING Foundation
The ING Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where ING U.S. operates and its employees and customers live. Through charitable giving and employee volunteerism, the foundation focuses on programs in the areas of financial literacy, children's education, diversity and environmental sustainability. For more information, visit ing-usafoundation.com