The debut of Alaska Kids Run

PALMER— This Sunday, kids across the Mat-Su Valley can race each other at the first Alaska Kids Run event and no matter who wins, local graduates will have new scholarship opportunities. Mat-Su Borough School District (MSBSD) school psychologist and Alaska Kids Run founding director, Rachel Brown put this all together to honor her late father, Dr. George W. Brown’s healthy, community driven and kid motivated legacy.

“He would love it,” Brown said. “He would be pickled.”

The race will begin at the Michael Janecek trailhead near Palmer High School. Event registry opens at noon. The first race will be for kids 10 and under and starts at 1:30 p.m. The second race, for kids 11 to 13 years old, will pick up right after and the 5k for children ages 14 will conclude the day’s events. The top three winners of each race will be recognized.

All funds raised by this event will go towards scholarships for Valley graduates who are pursuing careers in early childhood development. Brown hopes to make this an annual event to take care of the kids in the community the way her father did in his time.

“He was always trying to get us to part in stuff like this,” Brown said.

George died on Dec. 14, 2016. Brown described her father’s legacy as: “compassionate, energetic, and committed to children’s wellness.” He started practicing medicine in the Valley back in in 1971. He was the only pediatrician in the Valley until the 1980’s. Brown’s mother, Carolyn, was also the only obstetrician in the Valley and the couple opened their own practice in 1978.

George was an avid runner and completed over 70 marathons. Brown said that when the old Valley hospital was struggling financially, he invented his own run to raise funds for the hospital. He ran from Providence in Anchorage to the old hospital in Palmer at least three or four times- in December.

“It was crazy — no other way to put it,” Brown laughed.

George had a really good sense of humor and loved to run, according to Brown. She said that her mom is more serious and hates running.

“She always thought he was crazy but in a good way,” Brown laughed.

George founded an annual event similar to his daughter’s contemporary tribute. In the 1970’s, he founded the Valley Youth Marathon and it successfully ran for about 10 to 15 years. Brown said that her dad also stressed the importance of exercise to the kids he worked with and the ones at home. Brown stood by her father’s time-tested wisdom.

“You should get outdoors and do something physical anything for at least 30 minutes a day,” she said.

Brown’s daughter is 19 years old and a runner, too. She tried to raise her the same way her father did, with positive praise and attentiveness, which she said made all the difference.

Entry fees are based on age groups and are listed below:

Children five and under are free

Family rate (any amount of kids in the same family) for $35

1st race (1 mile race for kids 10 and under) $10

2nd race (2 mile race for kids 11-13) $20

3rd race (5K 3.1 mile for anybody age 14 and above) $30

*note: children under 14 can enter the 5K race if their parents sign a waiver.