Finding the joy in physical activity, one step at a time

Rhianna Bedient is no stranger to getting kids up and moving. As a physical education teacher at Bryant Montessori and the physical education lead for the Tacoma School District, she spends her days teaching kids how to safely move their bodies and find joy in doing so.

But even she’s found something special in the MultiCare Sound to Narrows run.

“The look on the kids’ faces when they come through the finish line and get their medal … they know they’ve put in the hard work and it’s something they’ve earned,” she explains. “When they cross the finish line and all those people are cheering for them, in that moment they feel like superheroes.”

Bedient has coached a Fit for Sound to Narrows team for years, hoping to help as many kids as possible experience that moment for themselves.

Fit for Sound to Narrows is a six- to eight-week training program that prepares students 12 and younger to run Sound to Narrows. Students attend a one- to two-hour session twice a week, either before or during school. Volunteer coaches help them with running form, safety, nutrition, hydration, stretching and building up stamina to complete the course length of their choice.

The program is free and students receive a discount on their Sound to Narrows registration fee, which includes a T-shirt, race bib and timing chip delivered to their school ahead of time. Runners can then earn their medal at the race.

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While most students opt for the 2K or 5K course, some take on the challenge of the full 12K, including Michelle Rippe’s two sons. Rippe, a nurse at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and coach for Fit for Sound to Narrows, has run Sound to Narrows with her children since she was first pregnant.

“My younger kid is 7 now and he did his first 12K last year. There’s no way he would have done that without his dad’s support, though,” she says. “His dad wasn’t a runner at first so they trained together and that ended up being his longest run, too.”

Running has become a family activity for them. They run a 5K around Point Defiance with the Tacoma Runners Group each weekend, Rippe says. They also walk to school together every morning.

But for many kids in Pierce County, physical activity is much harder to get. Only 19 percent of Pierce County youth get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County State of Play report.

Finding the joy of movement

There are many reasons a child may not be reaching that movement goal, Bedient explains. For some, it’s too much time in front of a screen playing games or using their phone, while others may not have easy access to a safe place to run around.

“The pandemic was also really tough on our kids. Teaching them to play collaboratively together doesn’t happen as naturally now,” she says. “And you don’t have that pack of neighborhood kids running around playing anymore.”

Through Fit for Sound to Narrows, Bedient hopes to build a more positive association with movement and teach kids to understand the benefits.

“The goal is when they think about running, they think about smiling, being with friends and being challenged in a good way,” she explains. “I think there’s a lot of older people who had all pass-or-fail PE classes and it was really stressful. Through these programs, though, we can create the opposite memory … that this is something attainable and they can keep that mindset throughout life.”

Fit for Sound to Narrows is free and participants receive a discount on their Sound to Narrows registration fee. Runners can also earn their medal at the race.

While Fit for Sound to Narrows focuses on running skills and endurance, Bedient reminds kids and families that physical activity can come in a variety of forms. Great ways to get moving include imaginative play, like pretending to be superheroes or animals, or simply having the space to jump, climb and roll.

“With my older kids, they love playing pickup basketball, hitting the volleyball around and doing some of those easier, entry-level street sports,” she adds.

In her years of coaching Fit for Sound to Narrows, Rippe says she has seen kids join the program for a range of reasons. Some just want to hang out with their friends and others are motivated by the prizes at the end.

Regardless of the reason, though, she sees kids making it playful and fun.

“Recently we did a family trail run, the boys were grumbling about going out to do it,” she explains. “But once we were out there, they were running ahead of us and chatting and I could just envision the future of them doing that all through life.”

Benefits of physical activity

Physically active children are one-tenth less likely to face weight challenges and less likely to smoke, use drugs or get pregnant, according to the State of Play report. They have lower levels of depression and higher levels of self-esteem, and in the long run, reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and disability.

Aside from the physical importance of staying active, the emotional and mental benefits are just as important. Active youth reported more excitement, happiness and motivation compared to those who were inactive, according to the report. Inactive children and teens reported increased levels of nervousness, anxiety, worry, depression and hopelessness.

“I’ve noticed across the board … that they are more emotionally regulated, more positive, awake and engaged for their school day,” Bedient explains. “I also bring that to their attention, as well, so they can start noticing the changes that the physical activity can help them with throughout their life.”

Rippe says she notices a difference in her boys when they get some of their physical energy out before school and during recess. It helps them stay focused in class.

Children who are physically active score on average 40 percent higher on tests, are 15 percent more likely to go to college and are more productive in their work, according to the State of Play report.

Kids learn about physical health, social-emotional tools when they train with others and how to stick to something they start, Bedient says.

“The work ethic of showing up for six to eight weeks, putting in the work and seeing how they get faster and better is big,” she says. “My favorite thing about teaching them to run is that it’s a tangible way to see how hard work pays off. They can feel the difference in their body and the work they put in.”

The Fit for Sound to Narrows program is funded by SNAP-Ed, a federally funded program that educates and promotes healthy eating and active lifestyles among SNAP recipients and the community. MultiCare has also partnered with the YMCA for additional funding to help expand the program to serve older youth and provide greater access to students of all ages.