Meet Kids of STEEL — Alex and Aaron
Brothers who run! Our next kid blog entry comes from another set of siblings: Alex (age 9) and Aaron (age 6) from the South Hills. Not only have they both made great strides in running, they use their race training season as a way to help animals. Both Alex and Aaron are Bank of America Run for a Reason Charity Runners for Humane Animal Rescue, where they adopted their feline family members.
Meet our Kids of STEEL. Here’s more from Alex and Aaron.
How did you get started in running? And with Kids of STEEL?
Alex: I’ve been running since the age of 3. My mom signed me up for the Dollar Bank Junior Great Race. We quickly became a running duo, working on my pace and distance. I became part of Kids of STEEL when I was 4 years old and ran the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon. Running more and running with my mom got me ready for my first 5K - the Brentwood Firecracker – when I was 5 years old. Now I run pretty much every P3R event and I am also very involved with the Pacer Track Club (South Hills cross country/track team).
Aaron: I started with 100-yard dashes at events where my mom and brother were running 5ks. Once I saw that you can get medals for running races, I wanted to run more. This year I ran my first 5k, and am looking forward to the next one. I am also joining the Pacer Track Club this spring to help my running. I’ve been doing Kids of Steel since I was 2 in the Toddler Trot. This year is the first year that I am running the 5K as well as the Kid’s Marathon.
What is your favorite memory/event? Why?
Alex: My favorite memory was last year when I was a seeded runner for the Great Race 10K. It was so cool being able to go in the special front section at the beginning of the race. I had space to stretch and warm up. The Great Race 10K is my favorite running event. I have ran it 3 times and am looking forward to doing it again this year.
Aaron: My favorite running memory is last year’s Kids Marathon. I was able to run past a lot of bigger kids and finished a minute and a half faster than the year before. My favorite running event is the Pittsburgh Penguins 6.6K. I ran it last year for the first time. Not only did I get a cool medal, but I got to give Mario Lemieux a high five at the end!
What race(s) have you ran in the past and are you running this year?
Alex: I have run a LOT of races since beginning when I was 3. There are numerous 5K’s and a handful of 10Ks as well. I’ve ran in the Pens 6.6K too. In addition to road races, I have participated in Healthy Kids Running Series for a number of years, and am a runner with Pacer Track Club. Through Pacers, I have participated in cross country and track meets, qualifying for regionals in both sports and nationals in cross country.
Aaron: Junior Great Race, Pens 6.6K, Kids Marathon/Toddler Trot, Sandcastle 5K, Run Santa Run 5K, Horseshoe Days 5K, Healthy Kids Running Series, Numerous 100 yard dashes at races held by Team Brunazzi in McKeesport.
How do you like to exercise?
Alex: I like to run by myself and with my Pacer teammates. I mix in pushups, crunches and other strength training activities.
Aaron: I like to do planks with my mom and brother. I like to run with my mom.
