Running the Montreal Oasis Marathon: the participants of the Students In The Running program will take up the challenge on September 22 after a year of training

MONTREAL, Sept. 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - In November of 2012, a group of approximately 30 students aged 15 to 18 years old set for themselves an important challenge: to run a marathon with the Students in the running program. Eleven months later, twenty of them have persevered and will be at the starting line of the Montreal Oasis Marathon on September 22, 2013.

Thanks to a gradual but thorough training, the support of dedicated mentors and the mobilizing dynamic of a group with which they have created special links, these teenage girls and boys from the Students in the running program will run their first marathon. They will get the proof that with great determination, the challenges that may initially seem impossible can be achieved.

Students in the running is a non-profit organization aiming to promote physical activity, healthy eating and discipline among young people coming from at-risk environments in Montreal. The program also aims to reinforce the students' self-esteem and inspire them to set objectives and reach them. "Young people too often underestimate their abilities and the program allows them to excel in a supervised environment. More than just a physical challenge, running a marathon shows them that despite the difficulties experienced in everyday life, they can set and achieve an extraordinary goal", says Éric Leclerc, spokesperson for the organization.

Supported by mentors throughout the year, the students have trained gradually with a program adapted to their abilities. They've also benefited from the care of a trainer, a nutritionist and a team of health professionals. Many other partners and sponsors are associated with this project and have allowed the students to have the experience of a lifetime.

During the past few months the students have participated in other runs, most notably the Grande Virée des Sentiers "parc du Mont-Saint-Bruno", the Lac Brome Merrell circuit, and most recently the Mont-Tremblant Half-Marathon, in order to evaluate their training level and to better understand how to pace themselves over longer periods. These runs have stirred some powerful emotions and strengthened their ties with their mentors.

Moreover, to support them in their future development, graduates of the Students in the running program will receive an academic bursary to enable them to either continue their studies or a technical training program.

With only a few days left to go before the big challenge, the students are winding up their physical training and their mental preparation. The marathon is a challenge that demands respect while creating some anxiety. However, once they've left the starting line, the students will be undertaking the 42.2 km course through the streets of Montreal with confidence and a new found perseverance and determination that they will take with them throughout their lives. You will be able to recognize them and their mentors by their red jersies, branded to the colors of the program.

SOURCE: Students in the running

Éric Leclerc
438 870-8141
[email protected]
Web site for Students In the Running: www.etudiantsdanslacourse.org
Twitter : @etudiantsdlc