Crowds of supportive parents and guardians called out cheers of “Let’s go!” and “You got this!” when the Ethical Culture community joyously gathered in Central Park on an unseasonably warm and sunny fall day for the ECS-a-thon. The ECS-a-thon, an annual event in which students in 1st Grade—5th Grade run laps around the park’s baseball diamonds, was not held last year due to the pandemic. This year, the runners made their triumphant return to Central Park. Here, we spotlight 1st Graders running for the first time and 5th Graders making their last laps.
As they had been training hard for every Friday, 1st Graders gathered at the various starting points of the running route… and they’re off!
Many in the community turned out to cheer, offer support, and give high-fives — parents, guardians, siblings, teachers, and, of course, the P.E. team.
At the end of the 12-minute run, the 1st Graders captured their reflections via livestream for those watching at home.
While 5th Graders may have missed last year’s ECS-a-thon, they also trained every Friday and were ready to give their final milestone run their all. The event is more about achievement — and definitely not about competition. Karen Strock, P. E. Teacher, says: “The runners run for a designated time to achieve a personal best. We encourage the runners to pace — do not race.”
5th Graders felt a sense of pride at their final ECS-a-thon. They capped off their 15-minute run with team photos.
