NORWICH – An exciting, new and healthy opportunity for children in grades pre-k to eighth grade is coming to Chenango County and by all accounts is off on the right foot. The Healthy Kids Running series (HKRS) is a five week competitive running program that began in Pennsylvania and has grown to 16 additional states and places an emphasis on youth health, community involvement and staying fit and active.

With that in mind, the Healthy Kids Running Series announces its spring 2014 program beginning April 6th.

Jessie Pepe, a Montrose, Pa. native who relocated to Chenango County after college, spearheaded efforts to bring the program into the area with the goal of bringing another community enrichment activity that focuses primarily on children, youth and health into the county.

Pepe said,“A friend of mine from high school is associated with the organization in Montrose and familiarized me with their chapter of HKRS, which has the organization’s largest turnout with nearly 450 participants yearly. Being a mother myself, I just thought that this would be a great opportunity to get kids involved in something fun, while at the same time keeping them active and having the added benefit of battling childhood obesity, which is an important issue for myself and many concerned parents out there.”