Read on to see how the 100 Mile Club kids, families, and teachers earned miles (and SO much more) on a beautiful Saturday morning in December...
Integrating 100 Mile Club with Families and our Community
by Shayna Golbaf, 100 Mile Club Head Coach
Longfellow Elementary H.E.A.R.T.S.
How can you bring families and the community together through 100 Mile Club? Many of us witness the success of 100 Mile Club in our school, but how do we take it to the next level?
If the community wouldn’t come to us, then we would take it to them through an experiment labeled Family Fieldtrips!
If the community wouldn’t come to us, then we would take it to them through an experiment labeled Family Fieldtrips!
Part of the goal of 100 Mile Club is to promote a healthy lifestyle and give students an attainable goal outside of regular academics. My goal for Family Fieldtrips was to promote a healthy lifestyle through a free activity that could be done while bonding as a family and community. Luckily, Riverside has just the spot to incorporate all these things:
Mount Rubidoux.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks approaching, I knew that students would have less time to run toward their 100 miles. Therefore, I planned our first Family Fieldtrip for the first Saturday in December. Excited about this new idea, I quickly made flyers and began promoting.It quickly came to my attention that December 6th was not only an important day for us, but many others. It was the day Catholics in Riverside honored the Virgin of Guadalupe with a pilgrimage to the top of Mount Rubidoux.
Just my luck! The one day of the year that I chose to begin our Family Fieldtrip was the same day that literally thousands of others would be joining us for our three-mile hike up Mount Rubidoux! I was apprehensive and considered changing our fieldtrip to a later date, but decided against it. I truly did not understand the size of the celebration we would soon encounter.
The day had come and I was open-minded as I attempted to project the success of my experimental fieldtrip. As I began to climb to our meeting spot, I second-guessed myself as my eyes greeted the crowded paths on the mountain. Through the stream of people I recognized two eager students who were 40 minutes early for our endeavor. As time began to pass, more students immerged amongst the worshipers. George Flower, a community member from Friends of Mount Rubidoux, presented students with buttons and Kara Lubin, founder of The 100 Mile Club, motivated students for the climb. 
The sound of drums filled our ears, and one parent advised that we start our hike before the procession arrived. “It hasn’t even started?!” I thought in a panic as I pictured the groups who had already passed us. Quickly we broke off into two groups and began our journey up the mountain. We were surrounded by other community members with thousands more on our trail.
Reaching the top and not to resist any photo opportunities, we stalled at the summit while our barricade quickly closed in. 
Without realization or intention we just became part of the parade!
Our family fieldtrip had morphed into a cultural plunge for all of us. Our eyes were opened to a sacred ceremony filled with passionate singing, dancing, music, and praying. Southern and Central American countries raised their flags high, and our students, by pure dumb luck, were right in the front row.
Needless to say, we earned our miles, but we also gained so much more. I couldn’t have planned it better, and no other Family Fieldtrip will ever come close to the experiences we gained that day.
As we walked down the mountain and away from the ceremony, parents and students reflected on all the subjects touched on during this event. Physical fitness was the obvious, but social studies and geography were also mentioned. Geology was touched on using the multitude of different rocks. Sociology was referred to by one parent due to the different cultures represented.
My personal favorite was when one student proclaimed, “and we bonded together!” Families, students, and parents all found a commonality through tackling the mountain. We planned another hike for the following week, this time with a picnic at the top.
The 100 Mile Club® is more than running. It is about bringing people together through passion, motivation, encouragement, and community.
All of this and so much more was discovered and accomplished as we ventured out and introduced the 100 Mile Club® to our community.
Welcome, Riverside!! We are humbled and honored to have you with us. Welcome to The 100 Mile Club!
:)
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