Winnipeg students surprised with new running shoes

WINNIPEG — Believe it or not, the Manitoba Marathon is roughly a month away.

Among those training for the big race is Hedges Middle School.

Global News along with our friends at 680 CJOB and Skechers have come together to give students at the Unicity school a leg up. The roughly 30 members of Hedges’ running club were surprised with brand new Skechers running shoes on Friday morning. Students will also be transported to the Manitoba Marathon and will get their Super Run entry fees covered.

RELATED: Manitoba Marathon switching gears in 2016

“Part of the reason we chose a middle school is because this age group gets overlooked,” said Rachel Munday, the executive director of the Manitoba Marathon. “In adolescents, there’s a lot of reasons kids may stop being active. It may be body image, social factor or stress at home.”

Hedges Middle School is one of 100 schools participating in this year’s Manitoba Marathon Champions in Training program. The goal is to introduce kids to an active lifestyle.

The Manitoba Marathon takes place June 19.