By Marissa Muniz | LTVN Social Media Editor
Baylor track and field athletes are trading competition for community this fall, leading a six-week youth running program through the national nonprofit Run Your City. The Waco chapter kicked off its first season Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 19 at Rice Field, with free sessions held Sundays from 2 to 3 p.m.
Run Your City offers free running clubs for kids in underserved communities, aiming to make sports accessible to every child.
“Run Your City is a nonprofit organization, and it creates a space for those kids to be in sports, specifically running and track and field,” Baylor athlete and president of the Waco chapter Ryan Vasquez said. “It’s a good way to reach out to underserved communities and bring kids’ sports for free without any cost to them.”
These Baylor athletes aren’t just coaching — they’re inspiring. For many kids, it’s their first time ever stepping onto a track.
“It could be someone who’s been running their whole life, or it could be the kid’s first time running,” Baylor athlete and season planner for the Waco chapter Alencia Lentz said. “So we just introduce them to the sport.”
But the impact goes beyond physical activity. Kids are gaining confidence, courage and a sense of community.
“It’s just fun. We all make posters,” Lentz said. “It’s like team building and confidence building. It just gives the kids courage.”
Run Your City is bringing a different kind of joy to this younger generation and getting their energy out, which is what parents are enjoying.
Rebecca Wright, a Waco mom, said she heard about the program through a friend and knew it was something her kids would love.
“It’s something my kids would enjoy doing — get some energy out, first of all, and then also kind of teach them the basics of running, if you will,” Wright said.
There’s still time to join the final sessions of the season. Kids in grades K–8 can come out to Rice Field on Oct. 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. to run, play and connect with Baylor student-athletes. To learn more or sign up, visit www.runyourcity.org.
