Local Mentors Inspire a Running Culture

As temperatures drop and the first snowfall arrives, parents begin to anticipate outdoor youth activities, such as nordic skiing and hockey.  But for the past few months, Talkeetna’s kids have been focused on another outdoor activity…. Running.

KTNA’s Colleen Love has more….

Eight years ago, Talkeetna resident and substitute school nurse, Tracey Dolecki, noticed the lack of an elementary running program.  She volunteered to start one.  That first year, she had maybe ten participants.  Her numbers quickly grew to 15 and then 20 and then even more.  

She’s taken on an Assistant Coach, Jill Telnack, and they’ve focused on 4th and 5th grade runners, although Dolecki says they sometimes include 3rd graders, depending on number of volunteers they have.

“We just run a lot.  We play some games but mostly we just run and I think the kids just actually like it. I think they average one to two miles per practice. And they like running up to the overlook and a lot of them like hearing what their mile time is.”

According to Telnack, multiple kids have mile times under 8 minutes.  But it’s also like a social hour.  She says some students find a buddy and who they like to run with and they talk the whole time.

The program relies on a group of parent volunteers to run with kids who sprint ahead or who straggle behind.

Dolecki and Telnack also organize a multi-school running meet, competing with Willow and Trapper Creek Elementary students. They also organize the Talkeetna Trail Race, a fundraiser for the PTA. 

Dolecki says the Talkeetna Trail Race is gaining in popularity.  This year they had over 160 runners sign up for either race.  Approximately 70 people participated in the 25K and most of their elementary runners competed in the 5K race. The event took place in September, during the height of their season.

Telnack says, while it’s great to see the kids be active, she finds it pushes her to be more active as an adult.

“It definitely makes me run more cause I run with the kids and then I go home and I’m like, I need to run my dog.”

Both Coaches feel their program is meeting the overall goal: to create life-long running enthusiasts and healthy kids.