BOISE, Idaho — Justin Levine made a New Year's resolution to run 25 marathons in 2025, and part of his program included starting a non-profit to help children afford to play sports and do activities.
At Cynthia Mann Elementary School, Levine finished his 25th marathon of the year in under four hours with a little help from the children who ran alongside him during their recess.
Check out the video to see the magic of this run at an elementary school
"As I was on my final lap, I just had no words, you are just full of emotion from this journey, this was everything I envisioned," said Levine. "On January 5, when I did my first marathon, I didn’t know it was going to end this way; I didn’t know I was going to do my last marathon with the kids."
This final marathon was planned with the help of the school's principal a few weeks ago, and it makes sense. Levine's non-profit is called Inspire Kidz, and it's an initiative to try and help parents afford activities for their children.
"I know there are kids out there that have lost that opportunity just from cost, and that is big," said Levine. "I read a stat the other day that 67 percent of parents say cost is the reason they don’t sign their kids up, and that is huge."
Levine is a fitness coach, and he loves to run. Another part of his journey has been trying to inspire kids to be active and get fit. Many of the kids were able to run alongside him as he lapped the school for 26.2 miles, and it had an impact on them.
"I think it was really fun because I got to run and I like running," said Van. " It was also kind of fun because all my friends were there," added Madson.
In an ironic twist, it was actually the kids who helped motivate Justin Levine as he finished up his final marathon. It was a sight to see with people cheering him on and the kids congratulating Justin at the finish line.
"There is something to be said for inspiration and inspiring other people," said Levine. "Today I was inspired by the kids; they were my guardian angels running right next to me with vigor, enthusiasm, and innocence. They just moved me along every step of the way, and I couldn’t have done it without the kids."
Levine wanted to thank Fleet Feet for sponsoring him along this journey, and if you are interested in helping out with his mission or donating to the cause, you can click here for more information.
