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From Couch to 5K

Running for a Better Oakland

Pat Mazzera

   Oakland resident Leslie Podesta wants kids to join a new kind of social network. This one will actually get them off of the computer and out into the fresh air.
   “Running is a social experience,” says Podesta, executive director of Running for a Better Oakland (aka RBO). This new nonprofit — the brainchild of Podesta and fellow runner Tod Vedock — encourages Oakland students to develop healthy lifestyles through running. With the help of designated “coaches” within schools and organizations, RBO trains kids for the Oakland Running Festival.
   After training with individual coaches during the week, participants come together on Saturdays for a group run around Lake Merritt, using a “couch-to-5K” training model beginning with a quarter mile of walking and running. “We bring all the kids together for a stretching session and give an informal talk before we run.” Those topics, Podesta says, include proper nutrition, appropriate running attire and running etiquette. “We try to open a gateway to a lifestyle of running.”
    The turnout for the group has been overwhelming for an organization just celebrating its first birthday, with 126 kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, participating in every event from the fun run to the marathon relay, including the 5K and half marathon. And the success stories abound. “We had one high school girl who walked first time she participated in a run,” recalls
Podesta. “By the time she did her portion of the relay she ran the entire time.” RBO also boasts of an age group winner in the half marathon, who ended up beating her goal time of two hours.
    Even with all the success of their first year, there are many goals still to be reached. Currently funds are applied toward registration for the event, along with a T-shirt and water bottle, but ultimately, RBO would love to have enough money for shoes and socks for the kids. Podesta encourages anyone interested in volunteering or involving their child or class to visit the RBO website, www.rboakland.org. “It’s an opportunity to come together with like-minded people once or twice a week and share so much more than the experience of running. You create lasting friendships.”