Parkway Students Participate in Little Paws Fun-Run
By: PHS Senior Noah Riley

As the cross country season began for the 2018-2019 school year, so did the Little Paws Fun-Run for grades three through six. This is Parkway’s fourth year offering the fun-run and it has grown to an impressive twenty-two students this year. The fun-runs happen right before most cross country meets, and the course is usually around one mile long. The participants usually run through areas such as parks and campgrounds. There are usually anywhere from 40 runners up to 200 runners participating. 

The Little Paws are coached by Jennifer Barrett who says, “The kids are getting a taste of what it is like to be in cross country. A taste of how everyone participates and everyone is cheering for them along the route and into the chute at the finish line. It is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment for each of these kids.” While some kids just run to have fun and finish, other kids are extremely competitive. The Little Paws are off to a great start this season as they have competed at two meets so far. The first meet Parkway’s runners took all five top spots for the boys and the top two for the girls. At the second meet they placed first overall in the boys' and girls' races. Parkway has five boys that run a mile in less than 7 minutes and three girls that can run it in less than 7:30. Coach Barrett enjoys watching all the positive energy that is coming down from all the junior high and high school teams encouraging the Little Paws to run and have fun.