6 year old runs a half marathon

trihead

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/6-year-old-is-youngest-to-run-a-half-marathon

Saw this on Facebook earlier..... seemed to cause a bit of a stir with posts for and against it....

What do you think?

ThePiedPiper

I think its absolutely bloody ridiculous frankly. No way should a child that young be running 13 miles. Plus, I'm about 99% sure I've read reports elsewhere of 4 or 5 year olds running marathons, so apart from the article trying to praise something that should really not be allowed, its blatant lies also.

Condo131

"Children are not small adults. Their anatomy and physiology are developing and not fully mature. Despite these concepts which are intuitively understood in the broadest sense, in practice, and especially in athletic pursuits, these distinctions are forgotten or ignored."
- IMMDA (International Marathon Medical Directors' Association) paper "Children & Marathon Running: How young is too young?"

"Adults and parents are often called upon in our society to set limits and guidelines for precocious and demanding children."

In my experience, across several sports, it is the children's parent(s) who is often the driving force, rather than the child. The question arises: "Whose ambition is it? Parent's or child's?" Very often, I reckon, it's the parents.

ZiabR

Cant believe this, no child should be running a half Marathon.

TFBubendorfer

Condo131 wrote: »

In my experience, across several sports, it is the children's parent(s) who is often the driving force, rather than the child. The question arises: "Whose ambition is it? Parent's or child's?" Very often, I reckon, it's the parents.

While I don't want to get into the discussion if it's good or bad for the child, I don't think any parent could make a child run a half marathon against its will. Therefore it cannot be just the patents' ambition alone.

RacoonQueen

Editor's Note: Since publishing our story, we've learned of two other 5- and 6-year-old half-marathoners not listed on ARRS's website. Matthew Feibush ran the Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon in 3:02:32 in May when he was 5, and at this month's Dayton River Corridor Classic, 6-year-old Rosey Dunham finished her race in 2:35:23, 12 minutes faster than Glass.

Condo131

Hi Thomas..we're at it again! <grin>
I did say "very often"....and I did say "in my experience".

Maybe I can share two examples:
1. A couple of years ago, we had a four mile road race with a big crowd. At the very end, we found a four year old, accompanied by an adult (parent) running in to the finish, having run all the way. I was livid. The child collapsed towards the end.
2. Munster Tri Chps, about 15-20 years ago. The father of a 16 year old "persuaded" the organisers into accepting his son's entry. Afaicr, the swim was about 0.5 mile, followed by 17 mile cycle and 10k run (something like that anyway...it was a while ago). The story was that the lad was a talented swimmer, who turned to cycling and this was his first tri...and first ever run.
The swim was fine...not much a parent can do there.
For the cycle, the father caused mayhem; driving alongside the son, very often on the wrong side of the road.
On the run stage, the father had parked the car and jumped on the bike, cycling alongside his son. On the way back, the son was actually crying, with his father bullying him on. One of the competitors put himself between the lad and his father and shepherded him home.

After the finish another competitor, a doctor, absolutely ate the head off the father over his treatment of his son and the inadvisability of taking part. Unfortunately the doctor also mentioned the madness of running in brand new shoes (bought previous day) and, in spite of everything the doctor said, all the father took out of it was "the new shoes".

This particular incident still enrages me all these years on.:mad:

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

While I don't want to get into the discussion if it's good or bad for the child, I don't think any parent could make a child run a half marathon against its will. Therefore it cannot be just the patents' ambition alone.

C'mon Thomas, it isn't just ambition, but parents are responsible for their children's welfare & wellbeing. Children of 5 and 6 don't even grasp the concept of the distances involved, let alone the effort and health consequences. You and I can make informed decisions about our own choices...parents make them for their children.

Y'know, as I write this, I can't believe that there actually is dissent to the concept that it's bad for young children to partake in distance events.....It's a "no brainer" and there is a massive amount of supporting evidence for it.

TFBubendorfer

Condo131 wrote: »

2. Munster Tri Chps, about 15-20 years ago. The father of a 16 year old "persuaded" the organisers into accepting his son's entry. Afaicr, the swim was about 0.5 mile, followed by 17 mile cycle and 10k run (something like that anyway...it was a while ago). The story was that the lad was a talented swimmer, who turned to cycling and this was his first tri...and first ever run.
The swim was fine...not much a parent can do there.
For the cycle, the father caused mayhem; driving alongside the son, very often on the wrong side of the road.
On the run stage, the father had parked the car and jumped on the bike, cycling alongside his son. On the way back, the son was actually crying, with his father bullying him on. One of the competitors put himself between the lad and his father and shepherded him home.

After the finish another competitor, a doctor, absolutely ate the head off the father over his treatment of his son and the inadvisability of taking part. Unfortunately the doctor also mentioned the madness of running in brand new shoes (bought previous day) and, in spite of everything the doctor said, all the father took out of it was "the new shoes".

This particular incident still enrages me all these years on.:mad:

That's a horrendous story and I feel for the lad - though I would not take any conclusions from it if a 16 year old should do tris or not in general.

C'mon Thomas, it isn't just ambition, but parents are responsible for their children's welfare & wellbeing. Children of 5 and 6 don't even grasp the concept of the distances involved, let alone the effort and health consequences. You and I can make informed decisions about our own choices...parents make them for their children.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the parents are entirely responsible. But I could not get my sons to run a half marathon, no matter how much I would push them (not that I have any intentions of doing so!!!). I could not do it without their willing consent. Maybe it is indeed bad for a 6 year old to do a half marathon. As I said, I'm not getting into that discussion - I lack any knowledge about the subject.

Chivito550

Absolutely ridiculous carry on. If parents want their kids involved in athletics then do it right. Get them down to the local club/ little athletics/ whatever and let them have fun trying a range of events which are suitable for children of such age. Kids that age really shouldn't be running events longer than 200m IMO, or maybe 500m for a "distance" event.

Was running a 400m race earlier this year and there was a 13 year old in my race. He ran a 59, which as far as I'm concerned is a fairly cracking time for somebody that age. Chatted to his dad after who could not hide his mild disappointment. He was hoping he'd nail a 57, and said to me he has high hopes that his kid will run 52 within a year, aged 14! Perhaps not as bad as that Tri story above, but if that guy keeps up that nonsense then he will turn his young fella off the sport for life!

TFBubendorfer

Well, as it happens, my 12-year old will be doing a 5k fun run later today, organised by his school, together with all of his class mates.

They are raising money for the school and from what he has been telling me they were all pretty much told to take part, like it or not.

Now, he is 12 and it's 5k, which is not in the same league as a 6-year old doing a half marathon, but what's your take on that? Keep in mind that there is not a single pushy parent in sight, it's all from the school.

RayCun

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Well, as it happens, my 12-year old will be doing a 5k fun run later today, organised by his school, together with all of his class mates.

They are raising money for the school and from what he has been telling me they were all pretty much told to take part, like it or not.

Now, he is 12 and it's 5k, which is not in the same league as a 6-year old doing a half marathon, but what's your take on that? Keep in mind that there is not a single pushy parent in sight, it's all from the school.

They shouldn't be doing it. Kids aren't supposed to run 5ks until they're 15 or 16, at that age a mile would be plenty.

kit3

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Well, as it happens, my 12-year old will be doing a 5k fun run later today, organised by his school, together with all of his class mates.

They are raising money for the school and from what he has been telling me they were all pretty much told to take part, like it or not.

Now, he is 12 and it's 5k, which is not in the same league as a 6-year old doing a half marathon, but what's your take on that? Keep in mind that there is not a single pushy parent in sight, it's all from the school.

Most healthy 12 year olds would be well able for a 5k and it's good to see them active. I would assume that there would not be pressure on the kids to run all the way given that there would be different levels of fitness. If it was my kids I would also expect that the school would have sent full information home e.g. what was expected etc giving an opt out for any kids not able for medical reasons.

I have a 12 year old also - 5k would be no bother to him. He ran 5 miles with me during the summer and sprinted to a finish. He'd love to go further but I old absolutely limit him to 5k and the odd 5 mile until he is older.

His goal is ultras but thankfully he has decided to put that on hold until his GAA playing career with the Dubs has come to an end :rolleyes:

Smartguy

5k is nothing for a 12 year old as long as they have a decent level of general fitness.

TFBubendorfer

RayCun wrote: »

They shouldn't be doing it. Kids aren't supposed to run 5ks until they're 15 or 16, at that age a mile would be plenty.

kit3 wrote: »

Most healthy 12 year olds would be well able for a 5k and it's good to see them active. I would assume that there would not be pressure on the kids to run all the way given that there would be different levels of fitness. If it was my kids I would also expect that the school would have sent full information home e.g. what was expected etc giving an opt out for any kids not able for medical reasons.

I have a 12 year old also - 5k would be no bother to him. He ran 5 miles with me during the summer and sprinted to a finish. He'd love to go further but I old absolutely limit him to 5k and the odd 5 mile until he is older.

His goal is ultras but thankfully he has decided to put that on hold until his GAA playing career with the Dubs has come to an end :rolleyes:

Interesting contrast of opinion

For the record, of course they can walk as much of it as they want, and I have no doubt that he is well able to complete it without any trouble.

RayCun

The question is not if they can, but if they should.
Just because kids are capable of running the distance doesn't make it an appropriate thing for them to do. Kids are also capable of lifting weights.

The IAAF recommended maxima are

Under 9: Maximum distance: 3K
9-11: Maximum distance: 5K
12-14: Maximum distance: 10K
15-16: Maximum distance: Half-marathon(21.1K)
17: Maximum distance: 30K
18: Maximum distance: Marathon (42.2K)

(so yeah, I was wrong above. But I know the juvenile coaches in the club would go through me for a shortcut if I suggested kids that age race a 5k, and a lot of coaches take the cross country competition distances as guides to the practical limits)

PaulieC

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Matthew Feibush ran the Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon in 3:02:32 in May when he was

whatever about the rights and wrongs of it, that's a sh1t time. He'd want to be reviewing his training plan.

Stazza

RayCun wrote: »

They shouldn't be doing it. Kids aren't supposed to run 5ks until they're 15 or 16, at that age a mile would be plenty.

There's absolutely no reason why a child of 12 shouldn't run 5k. In fact, they are better off staying out of the club system and the school system to focus on gradual aerobic development rather than hammering the hell out of themselves for the good of a club/school.

Aerobic exercise is perfect for 'growing' children (10-14 age group): During the maturation period aerobic exercise helps, amongst other things, bone development; schools and clubs that have kids doing 600m -1500m races during this age bracket are harming the kids. Look at the drop off level in the clubs once the kids get to 15-16. Controlled aerobic exercise helps bones, ligaments and soft tissue develop together, whereas the more strenuous exercises of sprinting and middle distance and the associated training methods adopted by 'coaches' are far more problematic when it comes to the healthy development of children.

Look at the Kenyans - I don't mean the running to school malarkey. The kids are running and walking at levels that don't reach LT and they seem to be doing quite well off just going out and doing aerobic runs. And just to stop a barrage of insults before they come - I lived in Kenya for many years and worked in and around several of the top distance runners.

So long as the kids aren't doing too much running and the running is kept slower than Lactate Threshold, there is no problem with a kid in the 10-14 age group running 5k 3-4 times a week on soft surfaces. It's a lot better than what I've seen going on in clubs: I've seen 10 year olds doing VO2 max tests, serious plyometrics and being screamed at by coaches/parents in eyeballs out races.

Now that's not to say that 4-5 year old kids should be running half marathons; I think it borders on abuse to allow children to do such races. But then, should kids in the middle of the maturation process be doing 600m-1500m? Imo, no. But then, that's just my opinion.

Condo131

UK Athletics:
The maximum distances permitted in open competition for athletes are as follows:Maximum distance
Under 13 years 4000 metres
Under 15 years 6000 metres
Under 17 years 10000 metres
Under 20 years Up to a marathon
Seniors Unlimited


AAI:
Athletes must be 18 years of age to compete in events of 10,000m and over. The recommended age groups for juveniles are: Up to U11 – 1 mile: 12 – 13 2k: 14-15 3k: 16 – 18 5k.


This is the IAAF Kids program

We know that kids take part in events. Some of us try to prevent it - turning away under age people. Others, perhaps misguided or uninformed, allow it. However an organisation, be it, club, school, charity, whatever, might find it very difficult to avoid liability in the event of an incident arising. If one goes against recommendations including national and international, and medical bodies, one is running a heavy risk.

Stazza

Sorry Ray, missed your second post.

Chivito550

Stazza wrote: »

There's absolutely no reason why a child of 12 shouldn't run 5k. In fact, they are better off staying out of the club system and the school system to focus on gradual aerobic development rather than hammering the hell out of themselves for the good of a club/school.

Aerobic exercise is perfect for 'growing' children (10-14 age group): During the maturation period aerobic exercise helps, amongst other things, bone development; schools and clubs that have kids doing 600m -1500m races during this age bracket are harming the kids. Look at the drop off level in the clubs once the kids get to 15-16. Controlled aerobic exercise helps bones, ligaments and soft tissue develop together, whereas the more strenuous exercises of sprinting and middle distance and the associated training methods adopted by 'coaches' are far more problematic when it comes to the healthy development of children.

Look at the Kenyans - I don't mean the running to school malarkey. The kids are running and walking at levels that don't reach LT and they seem to be doing quite well off just going out and doing aerobic runs. And just to stop a barrage of insults before they come - I lived in Kenya for many years and worked in and around several of the top distance runners.

So long as the kids aren't doing too much running and the running is kept slower than Lactate Threshold, there is no problem with a kid in the 10-14 age group running 5k 3-4 times a week on soft surfaces. It's a lot better than what I've seen going on in clubs: I've seen 10 year olds doing VO2 max tests, serious plyometrics and being screamed at by coaches/parents in eyeballs out races.

Now that's not to say that 4-5 year old kids should be running half marathons; I think it borders on abuse to allow children to do such races. But then, should kids in the middle of the maturation process be doing 600m-1500m? Imo, no. But then, that's just my opinion.

I dunno. You've got to keep the kids interested in the sport. What 12 year old wants to go out and do boring 30 minute jogs. Running in 100m races, 600m races, throwing a shot putt, doing high jump is something which would be far more fun and appealing to kids. Messing around with their mates, trying to beat each other in a fun and banterful and competitive but relaxed environment. They should be given access to all the events in the sport and let them choose themselves what they would like to focus on. Turning them into robots aged 12 isn't good IMO.

dna_leri

Smartguy wrote: »

5k is nothing for a 12 year old as long as they have a decent level of general fitness.

Unfortunately many 12 yo do not have a decent level of general fitness - 25% of them are overweight or obese. Even if they are not, most would not have the general fitness to run 5K.

IMO we should not force (or strongly encourage) children aged 12 to run 5K if they have not been doing a program of regular running prior to that. Just as for adults you need to build that up gradually or you risk injury or putting them off running for life.

It is up to us as parents to introduce children to exercise in an appropriate way, by giving good example, by encouragement regardless of their ability and by holding them back when it is not in their best interest, even when a coach thinks otherwise.

I don't think we can generalise about what distance a child should run (as part of an incremental training program) at a certain age but there does need to be guidelines about race and competition distances (as per IAAF) to prevent abusive situations like a 6-yo doing a half-marathon.

TFBubendorfer

Condo131 wrote: »

AAI:
Athletes must be 18 years of age to compete in events of 10,000m and over. The recommended age groups for juveniles are: Up to U11 – 1 mile: 12 – 13 2k: 14-15 3k: 16 – 18 5k.

But the distances for cross country are as follows, which is different:
U.11 1500
U.12 2000
U.13 2500
U.14 3000
U.15 3500
U.16 4000
U.17 4500
U.18 5000

RayCun

Stazza wrote: »

There's absolutely no reason why a child of 12 shouldn't run 5k.

You're talking about avoiding all races though, and running only easy paced 5ks.
Good luck finding kids who don't turn every group run into a race :pac:

Stazza

Chivito550 wrote: »

I dunno. You've got to keep the kids interested in the sport. What 12 year old wants to go out and do boring 30 minute jogs. Running in 100m races, throwing a shot putt, doing high jump is something which would far more fun and appealing to kids. Messing around with their mates, trying to beat each other in a fun and banterful and competitive but relaxed environment. They should be given access to all the events in the sport and let them choose themselves what they would like to focus on. Turning them into robots aged 12 isn't good IMO.

Up to a point, I agree. The desire etc has to come from the child. And, of course, mixing up the events and sports is much better for a plethora of reasons. Most importantly, balance and enjoyment.

But if a child wants to go out and jog/walk/run 5k with adults and older kids there's no pressure. They can go out and have fun and enjoy the run, while benefitting on many levels. Whereas, the track is a cauldron of pain and pressure and humiliation and tears and shattered dreams and so many more ands.

If, however, you have a child who shows an interest in distance running, I believe that it's important to find the right person to help and guide them, not necessarily a local club coach.

It's imperative too, that they don't turn into 'robots'. Balance is so important and yet, in my experience, many distance runners lack balance - I include myself in this group; the sad cases who spend many hours reading Letsrun, Boards, Diary of a Rubbish Marathon Runner etc, and spends endless hours regaling their better half with details of monster sessions etc.

Sure, mix it up. Balance is important. But there's no harm, if and only if, the child wants to run 5k and the training is monitored with care.

Condo131

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

But the distances for cross country are as follows, which is different:

Yes they are.;)
One is cross country the other is road.....different surfaces.
Cross country is limited to running against peers, Road is versus everyone = far more pressure.

Cabaal

I'm just going to open another can of worms here....:pac:

Maybe, this is exactly why we don't have good runners?
If you look at "some" African countrys they have children running longer distances (say 5miles+) from a young age, after all they need to get to school etc.

But here we don't want kids running 5km's until they are 15 years of age. It might explain alot.

RayCun

Cabaal wrote: »

But here we don't want kids running 5km's until they are 15 years of age. It might explain alot.

Don't want kids racing 5ks, there's a difference

TFBubendorfer

Condo131 wrote: »

Yes they are.;)
One is cross country the other is road.....different surfaces.
Cross country is limited to running against peers, Road is versus everyone = far more pressure.

I saw a 13 year old run a 4 mile road race this summer. He finished third overall in 23:25. :eek:
Do you think he should not have been allowed to run?

Stazza

RayCun wrote: »

You're talking about avoiding all races though, and running only easy paced 5ks.
Good luck finding kids who don't turn every group run into a race :pac:

Good point about avoiding all races: how and when does a person start out as a sprinter? confused:. I suppose what I mean is that the training for many of the other events is more problematic than that of distance events for kids in the 10-14 age group. Maybe I'm wrong.

Cabaal

RayCun wrote: »

Don't want kids racing 5ks, there's a difference

err, but you just said...

RayCun wrote: »

You're talking about avoiding all races though, and running only easy paced 5ks.
Good luck finding kids who don't turn every group run into a race :pac:

So basically this means they can't run because odds are they will want to race it, they will want to beat their friends, they will want to be first or at the very least beat others.

Its paramount to saying that kids can play hurling or football, but they are not allowed to try win.

Condo131

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I saw a 13 year old run a 4 mile road race this summer. He finished third overall in 23:25. :eek:
Do you think he should not have been allowed to run?

If it was run under an AAI permit, then, no, I don''t. If that was the case the organisers would have been covering the event themselves, with each individual being liable. One may say that the probability of an incident is small, but that's why we have insurance.