Meet Us on the Lawn
600 Bonnet Springs Blvd
Bonnet Springs Park Family Lawn
Lakeland, FL 33815 US
View Location on Map
PARENTS ARE REQUIRED TO STAY ONSITE FOR THE DURATION OF PRACTICE
Your registration includes the entire school year: August 26, 2025 - May 5, 2026
PRACTICE WILL BE AT BONNET SPRINGS PARK
Tuesdays at 5:15 - 6:00 p.m.
Check in at 5:00 p.m. on the Family Lawn
🚫 KIDS RUN CLUB WILL NOT PRACTICE DURING:🚫
📢 Inclement Weather:
Make sure your cell number is included during registration to receive cancellation texts!
📅 School Closures & Major BSP Events:
⏳ No practice during:
- Thanksgiving Week – Jan 13
- Spring Break
This is a FREE community program, there is no fee to participate.
You can help sustain the work of the Lakeland Runners Club or Bonnet Springs Park with a donation.
runs
Kids in Kinder
Kids in 1st & 2nd
Kids in 3rd, 4th, 5th
Teen Volunteers
Information
The LRC Kids Run Club is a running club for children to prepare them for a lifetime of running.
The program is held during the school year, is gender-neutral, and is designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, regardless of school affiliation. The emphasis of this program is on participation and developing a healthy lifestyle as opposed to being a competitive running program. The workouts include warmups, relays, distance runs, games, and stretching.
Youth sports provides opportunities to exercise, make friends, gain competence, build confidence, learn about teamwork, take risks, develop character and self-discipline. Kids need movement to grow healthy and strong. Regular physical activity strengthens muscles and bones, helps prevent health problems like diabetes and heart disease, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. Physical activity also clear benefits for life at school. Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, miss fewer school days, and have better focus in class.
Parents are required to stay at the practice location for the entirety of the workout and are encouraged to be physically active in eyesight of their child.
If you are not familiar with Bonnet Springs Park, you can find the location of the Family Lawn on their park map.
For students in 5th - 8th grade, we offer a Summer Development Program during the summer that transitions into a cross-country racing experience in late summer.
Positive & Safe Sport Environment
The Lakeland Runners Club is committed to offering programs for athletes to enjoy a welcoming and respectful environment where diversity is actively embraced. At any age, our objective is for athletes to use the skills they have learned to contribute to the well-being of their communities.
Additional Resources for Parents
Our volunteer coaches are trained to protect young athletes from abuse through the Safe Sport Act training. Free resources are available for preschool through high school athletes and their parents and are designed to cover the issues of misconduct in sport and helps parents ensure their children have a positive and safe sport experience.
Program Behavior Guidelines
We want everyone to stay safe and have fun! Our behavior guidelines explain our expectations for all participants. Our volunteers will remind runners once about the guidelines and if they do not comply, they will be asked to go sit with their parent(s).
1. Respect for Everyone
2. Group Safety
3. Voluntary Participation
4. Handle Equipment only with Permission
5. Be a Role Model Parent
All participants and parents must treat others with respect and kindness at all times. This includes refraining from using inappropriate or abusive language, physical contact, taunting, teasing, or engaging in any form of bullying. Encourage a positive and inclusive environment where everyone feels safe and supported.
Parents should ensure their child understands basic safety rules, such as staying within designated areas, being aware of their surroundings, and following any specific instructions provided by the program leaders.
It is essential to prioritize the child's willingness to participate. If a child does not wish to take part in a particular activity or the overall program, the parent should respect their decision. In such cases, the coach will either send the child back to their parent or ask your child to sit out until they are ready to rejoin.
All participants and parents must understand that equipment should not be touched or handled without proper instruction. This includes the running program's equipment, as well as any other equipment in the shared park area.
Parents can be role models for their children by displaying a positive attitude and enthusiasm for physical activity and are welcome to walk or run around the perimeter of the park during practice.
By following these guidelines, parents and their children can actively contribute to creating a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environment.
History
The LRC Kids Run Club has been active since 2008. The program has been held at the YMCA/Peterson Park, Lakeland High School Track, Fletcher Park at Lake Bonny, Common Ground Park, and starting for the 2024-2025 school year, Bonnet Springs Park.
Recommendations from the RRCA
Running in a kid’s fun run or youth track event can be a great experience for kids. For children 5 and under focus on “dash” events that range from a few yards to 400 meters. For children 5 and over, kids fun runs that are a ½ to 1 mile long may be considered, but allow for a combination of running and walking. Children ages 12 and over may want to participate in a 5K run. Children ages 15 and older may want to participate in a 10K to half marathon event. Children 18 and older may want to participate in a marathon or further distance. These are general guidelines and the distance a child can physically and emotionally tolerate will depend on the individual, however, longer distances (10K and over) should wait until after puberty.
Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest national association of runners and running organizations dedicated to growing the sport of running. The RRCA uses the term “running” to encompass the broad spectrum of “running” in the US, including competitive running, jogging, fitness walking, race walking, and wheelchair fitness/racing on roads, trails, and tracks.
Have Questions
⛈️ not sure about the weather?
Our volunteer coaches do not work at Bonnet Springs Park. We use lightning trackers and weather radar to monitor the weather conditions and we will send cancellations to the mobile number you had the opportunity to provide during registration if we cancel practice.
See our Manage Your Registration page if you need to update or add a new mobile number.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this run, click the button below.
