McKinley Mile Draws 600 for Fun, Fitness – and Pizza

Sue Fuhrman lined up her volunteers from the West High Key Club for final instructions before Thursday's running of the McKinley Mile, a 15-year tradition at McKinley Elementary School.

"We have 546 people registered, and we usually have 50 more show up day-of, so we're looking at 600 people," Fuhrman told the high schoolers, as she assigned them to crowd control locations.

"You can also help lead the exercises," Fuhrman said. "They start warming up at 5:15, and they've been practicing the Macarena for weeks.

"They're pretty excited, so you might see the Macarena more than once."

As it turned out, what must have been very nearly the entire student body of McKinley would barely get through the Macarena once before the excitement of the race sent them bolting for the starting line. (See accompanying video)

Kate, a fifth-grader who preferred not to give her last name, was front and center for the dance, at the start of the run and – 7 minutes and 55 seconds later – across the finish line.

After nearly collapsing afterward on trembling knees and a heaving stomach, having given her all on the course, Kate quickly recovered and proudly announced to everyone she encountered, "First in class, first in school!"

For first-grader Mia Yencha, 6, it wasn't at all about competition – although she did hope to shave a minute off her kindergarten time of 13 minutes – it was, "That I get to see my friends here."

Indeed, what began 15 years ago as a fundraiser for the PTA has evolved into celebration of fitness, fun and school spirit.

"It's no longer a fundraiser," Fuhrman said. "It's a break-even event. We've actually lowered the price! Who can say that?"

For $4, or only $3 if registered in advance, everyone involved got an Edwardo's pizza dinner after the run. Edwardo's provided the pizza at its cost, and Sendik's donated bottled water for the event.

McKinley Principal Mark Carter, who has presided over McKinley for nine years, said he wasn't expecting anything like the Mile when he took over.

"Never, never," he said. "I'm amazed at the time and the effort everybody puts into this, especially Sue and Gregg Fuhrman. Every year, they've raced 600 people, fed 600 people.

"It's a real service to the community. A lot of the schools and PTAs have asked for Sue Fuhrman's number, wanting to know how she puts this all together."

Alas, after 15 years, Sue and Gregg will be passing the race baton on to others next year, as they've put all their own brood through the elementary grades. But the Mile will go on; they've already recruited their replacement organizers.

"It's something we can get all the families involved in," Gregg Fuhrman said. "Knock on wood, it never rains."

His part in organizing over all those years? "Pizza pickup, duct tape, running around a lot – and doing whatever my wife tells me to do."

As for Kate, it may not be many years before she'll be giving her last name to sports reporters. At 10 years old, she's already a strategic runner.

"Run hard the first few blocks to get ahead of everybody," she said of her racing plan, "then slow down and set the pace. Then, from the halfway mark – just sprint."