4 laps 4 kids
Akron Children’s Hospital
Akron Children’s Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the country, sees over 1,000,000 patients a year, performs almost 20,000 surgeries, operates 50 separate primary and specialty locations, and makes over 600,000 school health clinic visits. This independent and community-run institution makes sure that no child is ever turned away for any reason, including ability to pay.
Month of monday Miles
Easy enough, from August 28th to September 18th, just get out the door and do a mile. On the trails, on the track, around the neighborhood. Race your friends, walk with the kids, walk with the dog, walk with the kids and the dog. Just get out there and do it. Post your times and your photos and your words to our private Facebook group. Share on your Instagram. Everyone gets a sweet custom t-shirt, running hat from Boco, and cool finisher’s medal. We’ve got training plans and videos. Every week we drop a new playlist and have a live drawing for new shoes and other prizes from Fleet Feet. Prizes for fastest mile and most improved. Free entry into the Sixth Monday Night Mile Live Event on October 2nd.
The Sixth Monday Night Mile
October 2nd 2023. 6:00 p.m. Carl Munson Track, College of Wooster in Ohio. Over a dozen races. A walking division, a jogging division, a girl’s mile, a boy’s mile, master’s, open, and elite. There’s even a little kids one-lap race. Challenge Relays. The battle for the Sponsor’s Mile Relay Cup. Awards. Live DJ. Laughter and sweat. Afterparty. Swapping stories and t-shirts. An evening of competition and joy.
The Competitors
A Costa Rican surfer his miles. A Michigan fencer lunged hers. A bunch of swimmers meet every Monday before dawn to swim theirs. Another group meet every Monday on the track to race. A miler in a gorilla suit ran a downhill mile against a miler dressed as a unicorn. Most of us just run or walk. A seventy-eight year old Texas grandmother won the first most-improved miler award. Our fastest man last year ran his best time pushing a stroller. Milers in Texas and Oregon and New York and California and Michigan and Florida and Pennsylvania, Ohio, and all over.
The Story
The Monday Night Mile started in 2018 as a one-night event to help a local runner raise money for Akron Children’s Hospital. It was so popular that local runners demanded its return. The Month of Monday Miles was added in 2020. The next year, the Monday Night Mile became an official not-for-profit organization. In its first five years, the Monday Night Mile has donated over $40,000 to the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation.
