Livie-ByrdTo 12-year old Livie Byrd running is fun. A sixth grader at Covenant Christian School, Byrd once ran 7.6 miles in one day. Not all at once, but that’s something most girls her age wouldn’t even brag about. She was all smiles.

Byrd racked up over 140 miles, the most of any student for the new running program that met as many as four times a week after school. Byrd described it as a way to unwind.

“After all the long hard studying periods, it just feels good to get my mind off of school for a little while,” Byrd said.

The running club is the brainchild of Vicky Foster who decided to come up with a way for students to become more active during the day.

Students would receive badges for every ten miles they ran throughout the year on a makeshift track with markers outlining a particular distance. Nettie Byrd, Livie’s mother says the response was overwhelming from both the parents and student body.

“The children just loved it,” Nettie Byrd said. “It took volunteers, the parents, to coming in after school and mark the dots and count the dots and keep the records.”

The program was designed Nettie says, to keep the kids active all year around, not just seasonal. Initially created for students from second to sixth grade, administrators extended it to first graders in January as part of the schools physical education program that meets just twice a week. Some of the sponsored sports include baseball, kickball, basketball and the ever popular community soccer league.

Livie said at first her goal wasn’t to try and get the most miles, but as the program reached the end she quickly changed her mind. She runs every day with plans to run at Manchester Academy and possibly earn a college scholarship. But, she has an even bigger goal.

“I want to run myself right into the Olympics,” Livie said.

Staying in shape, exercising and eating healthy is just part of everyday life in the Byrd household.

“Were an active family,” Nettie said. “We walk on the weekends and everyday when I get off work. It’s not optional,” she said jokingly. “They kind have grown up walking with us; I used to stroll them around when they were little.”

Nettie firmly believes that exercising together brings the family closer and at the same time as parents, sets an example to take care of your body. “It’s good quality time,” she said.