The Peterborough Healthy Kids running program, which is based at the Peterborough Elementary School field,  launches its third season of running events for children Sept. 15.

“We started last fall with 63 kids, and this past spring, we were up to 105 kids,” said coordinator Krystal Lee Buckley. “We’ve had amazing participation and we have a ton of volunteers.”

Healthy Kids is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2009 to introduce children to running through events that encourage both confidence and self-esteem. The program currently organizes an inclusive five-week running series for children pre-K through eighth grade, with chapters across the country and around the world.

Buckley, now an avid runner,  said she “hated running” in high school, although she was a three-season athlete at ConVal, playing soccer, basketball and softball.

“I didn’t start running until I was 23 years old, and then I got totally obsessed,” Buckley said. 

Healthy Kids is a family affair for Buckley, whose husband, mother and sister all volunteer with the program. Buckley ,a Peterborough native and ConVal graduate, signed her 5-year-old son Weston up for a Healthy Kids program in Nashua when he was 3, and then wondered if she could find something closer to home. 

“So I applied to be a coordinator for Healthy Kids and start something in Peterborough, and they said yes,” Buckley said. “We’re very grateful to PES for letting us use the field. When they have soccer going on, we just run around them.” 

Weston who is heading into kindergarten, is now a veteran of the program, and his little sister Acadia, 2,  runs in the toddler division. The toddler division starts with a 50-yard dash, and race lengths increase through middle school, which is a one-mile run. Last fall, the KMS Foundation, created in memory of Monadnock region athlete Keith Sullivan,  donated the group’s finish line arch. 

“The arch is really fun for the kids. It makes them feel like they have run a huge race,” Buckley said.

Every runner completing the series gets a medal, and the top three runners in each division are recognized on a podium at the end of the season. Healthy Kids also includes theme weeks such as Superheroes and Princesses, Tie Dye Week, and Sports Week.  

“Our superhero week focused on our real-life superheroes. We had volunteers from the Peterborough Fire Department come and run with us, and the kids got to climb in the fire trucks. Another week, we had the Police Department come, and the kids got to see the cruiser,” Buckley said. “We just have wonderful community support. This fall, we will probably do a Halloween week theme.” 

Healthy Kids is open to all children, and assistance with registration fees is available. Buckley says families come from as far as Keene and New Boston to be a part of the Peterborough program. 

“We just had a sponsor step up to cover registration fees for 13 kids, so the first 13 families needing some help with fees will be covered,” Buckley said. 

Buckley encourages all parents to give Healthy Kids a try.

“If you want to try to get kids out there socially and emotionally, this is a great way to introduce them to physical activity and have fun at the same time,” she said. “It is all about getting them out there and active.” 

Registration for the fall series of Healthy Kids Peterborough is open.  Races take place at 10:30 on Saturday mornings at PES from Sept. 15 through the end of October, except for the weekend of Oct. 13.

“That weekend, I’m running the Chicago Marathon, along with some of our volunteers,” Buckley said.

For information or to register for Healthy Kids Peterborough, go to healthykidsrunningseries.org.