Youth Running Program (Ages 8–18)

Cross country prep, sport fitness, and a long-term path in the sport of running.

Built for two kinds of young runners

Kids who want to compete: future middle school and high school cross country runners, distance track athletes, and trail/road racers in the youth ranks.

Kids who just want to get fit (and have fun): future soccer players, football players, basketball players — running is the cheapest, most universal way to build the aerobic engine every fall sport needs.

You do not need to commit to “becoming a runner” to join us. You just need to want to move.

Age groups & focus

Age Group Typical Goal Volume Where We Meet    
8–10 Movement, play-based running, intro to track 1–2 short sessions/week Pending    
11–13 Cross country prep, intro to structured workouts 2–3 sessions/week, easy mileage Track location pending + park runs    
14–15 (early HS) Off-season XC base, race exposure 3–4 sessions/week Track location pending + UWW Campus Fields + Roads + Trails    
16–18 (HS) Summer base, off-season race opportunities 4–6 sessions/week Off-season XC base, race exposure 3–4 sessions/week Track location pending + UWW Campus Fields + Roads + Trails

What a typical youth session looks like

  • Warm-up: dynamic stretching, form drills (10 min)
  • Main set: age-appropriate workout — easy run, fartlek, or short intervals (20–35 min)
  • Cool-down: light jog, stretching, debrief (10 min)
  • Adults present: at least one USATF-affiliated coach and one parent volunteer

We never push young runners into volume their bodies aren’t ready for. The high school dropout rate from running is real, and most of it traces back to too much, too soon.

What we work with families on

  • Building a base without burning kids out (volume guidelines below)
  • Fueling and hydration for young athletes
  • Spike vs. trainer decisions — and when spikes are even appropriate
  • Race calendar planning that fits around school, family, and other sports
  • The cross country season runway — what June, July, and August should look like before the August team practices start

Every minor participant requires a signed parental consent and emergency contact form before joining any session. Coaches working with minors are SafeSport-trained and background-checked under USATF guidelines. We do not collect personal information about minors on this website without parental involvement — youth signups must come through a parent.

See our Safety & Policies page for full details.

The cross country pipeline

WRC is not a replacement for your school’s cross country team. We are a feeder and a complement.

In practice, that means:

  • Summer base running (June–early August) so kids show up to high school practice ready
  • Off-season (November–March) running and aerobic maintenance
  • Race exposure at USATF-sanctioned youth meets when families are interested
  • No conflict with school coaches — we’ll work with them, never around them

Volume guidelines (research-backed)

These are conservative, peer-reviewed guidelines we use to keep youth runners healthy:

Age Max weekly mileage Max single-run Notes
8–10 8–12 mi 2–3 mi Heavy play-based, no long runs
11–13 12–20 mi 3–4 mi Easy aerobic base, occasional tempo
14–15 20–30 mi 5–6 mi Build toward XC season
16–18 30–50 mi 8–10 mi Coordinated with school coach when possible

(Sources: USATF coaching education guidelines; Running Anatomy (Puleo & Milroy); American Academy of Pediatrics injury-prevention guidance for young athletes.)

Cost

Free to try. USATF Membership required for more participation - Learn more about USATF membership here. Until Club Dues are set, you may pay for this yourself.

Why is USATF Membership Required? One word—insurance. Your youth’s USATF Membership ensures the Club can get insurance for its practices; protects your kids if something happens; and enables us to partner with community locations that may require us to be insured to use their facilities. So please consider joining USATF and becoming an official club member!

Once Club-specific Member dues are set (after nonprofit incorporation), youth dues will be tiered with full scholarships available where possible — our goal is that no kid is turned away for cost.

Summer 2026 Training Plan (members only)

The full Summer 2026 Youth Training Plan is published in three members-only pages, all password-protected. Ask a coach or email [email protected] for access:

Start here

  1. Have a parent fill out the Join form with role set to “Parent of a young runner.”
  2. Come to a Sunday meetup at 3:00 PM at the location chosen ahead of time.
  3. Talk to a coach when you arrive. They’ll help place your child in the right group.

Questions? Contact us.