Making Running Fun Again

With the help of six student-athletes on the Maryland women’s track and field team, running has become fun and accessible for kids everywhere in the local College Park community. 

Emmi Simon, Katerina Talanova, Kirstin Nichols, Katie Turk, Annamarie Tretola and Emma Lorey formulated the 2024-25 leadership team for Run Your City’s College Park chapter. Together, they’re giving back by creating positive change and exposing children to running as a healthy hobby. Simultaneously, they're making running fun and available to all kids, regardless of socioeconomic factors that separate them.  

“A lot of underprivileged communities don't have the opportunity to get their kids into youth sports because normal club teams can be really expensive,” Simon, the President of Run College Park, said. “It's really sad because growing up with sports in your life teaches you so many skills, about being a person, humanity, how to be a team player, all the values that help you grow as a person, an employee and a student.”

Run Your City was founded in 2018 at the University of Virginia. The non-profit organization aims to build an inclusive community around the sport of running and foster children’s growth into healthy, confident and inspired individuals. 

Collegiate athletes around the United States connect with local communities to ensure team sports are accessible to all kids in K-8. With chapters at 29 universities, every college campus has the potential to become a beacon of health, inclusion and community engagement through sports. 

Run Your City has rapidly expanded and continues to expand by leveraging the dedication of student-athletes, local volunteers and professional athletes passionate about making a difference. Last summer, the organization reached College Park. After being approached with the idea, Simon and her close teammates were eager to kickstart Run College Park. 

“It's been really fun to be a part of,” Simon said. “Lots of parents were really engaging. … It's a great way to engage with the community, and bring student-athletes together with the kids.”

Run College Park operates under two six-week seasons during the fall and spring, with meetings every Sunday from 2-3 p.m. The practices are filled with fun, energy and meeting new friends. Children practice their skills by competing in games that involve being active while connecting with Maryland student-athletes, as many others from teams such as wrestling and gymnastics have also volunteered.  

As the President of the College Park chapter, Simon strategically built her leadership team based on her teammates’ interests and skills: Talanova (Public Relations / Social Media), Nichols (Community Outreach), Turk (Community Outreach), Tretola (Treasurer), and Lorey (Season Planning). 

Talanova is a computer science major interested in digital marketing and social media. She explained how being a part of Run College Park has been fulfilling in terms of giving back while gaining career development experience. 

“I've always loved the idea of running a page,” Talanova said. “I'm a very creative person digitally. It's been really fun creating templates, putting posts together, and finding fun, creative ways to make it more engaging for everyone.”

The leadership team spread the non-profit’s word by contacting local elementary schools and attending other sporting events and programs for children in the fall. They even handed out flyers. The group of student-athletes has observed the program grow due to their methods.  

According to Simon, Run College Park had roughly 70 signups during the fall. However, its spring season, which recently ended on April 13, boasted between 90-100 signups. Simon, Talanova, Nichols and Turk are graduating student-athletes who hope to see the non-profit continue to grow under new leadership.  

“I honestly hope that it continues with the same steam that it had all year, and people continue to be passionate about making sure it's successful,” Talanova said. “It'd be nice to leave something that lasts and benefits our community in College Park.”

Both Simon and Talanova say their involvement in similar extracurricular activities and being exposed to running at a young age influenced their passion for athletics and later provided the opportunity to continue exploring that passion. They hope that Run College Park could have the same effect on the children currently involved. 

However, simply observing the children make new friends and discovering shared interests with one another makes their involvement worthwhile. 

“If I can give that to some people, and maybe they can learn half as much as I was able to, I think it's totally worth my time,” Simon said. “I love kids. I love getting involved with the community. It means a lot to me.”