Runner’s Goal: Plan Race, Help Cheetahs
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Running comes naturally to Mililani High senior Kelsey Painter. The cross country racer has been pounding the pavement since third grade and has no plans to slow down. In fact, the 17-year-old is putting on a 5K race for her senior project.
The Cheetah 5K starts at 9 a.m. Jan. 8 at Central Oahu Regional Park and will follow the same one Painter and her cross country teammates run, beginning at the low end of the park and looping around the bottom three fields three times for a total distance of 3.1 miles.
It costs $15 (students) and $20 (adults), and proceeds will go to an international nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems.
“Since my sophomore year, I wanted to plan a race for my senior project that will benefit a charity,” said Painter. “I did some research and found out that the cheetahs, the fastest land mammal, are going extinct. Since cheetahs and running go hand in hand, I decided to donate all proceeds to the Cheetah Conservation Fund.”
She also had to get a permit from CORP to use its fields, approach businesses for donations and get the word out about this first-time race.
“She is doing just about everything,” said her coach and project adviser Nathan Aragaki. “She wanted to do something that would be worthwhile, not only just a credit.”
Painter also conducted a clinic to teach her classmates proper running form. Their finishing times in the Cheetah 5K will be compared to their previous racing times on the course to see if the clinic was effective.
“Kelsey has learned that a project of this magnitude takes a lot of time and planning. Her time management and organizational skills have really come around” added Aragaki, who teaches history and geography at Pearl City High School.
And although the Cheetah 5K may not become an annual event - Painter plans to attend a Mainland college next year - there’s still time to sign up for this one.
“I hope to gather as many participants and volunteers as possible,” said Painter, who will be too busy making sure all things run smoothly to run in it herself.
“The more participants, the more we can assist the Cheetah Conservation Fund in saving the cheetahs from extinction.”
To register by Jan. 6, go online to http://www.active.com. For more information, e-mail her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 343-7593.
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