1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Kara Lubin, 43, founder of the 100 Mile Club. Former teacher for special needs children. 100 mile club is now activated in over 100 schools all over the US.

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

I consider Coach John Wooden (former basketball player and coach) a true inspiration. His level of steadfastness and integrity is something to which I aspire daily. He is one of the most intelligent individuals and is the best teacher that I have the privilege to know.

Coach Wooden has been in the wide circle of my life for as long as I can remember. My father was a basketball coach at Cypress Junior College during Coach Wooden’s time at UCLA. The basketball world in Southern California was (and still is) quite small, so even as a very young child, I spent a great deal of time in gyms and at games all over, and (unknowingly) watching some of the best basketball players in the world.

For me, witnessing firsthand what you could accomplish when being active and being part of a “team” was a huge motivator.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

Coach Wooden is one of the many phenomenal people I have learned from as a result of my time spent around basketball. Coach’s Pyramid of Success is something that has been in my life as a model of success since I was old enough to walk. Only when I became a teacher did I discover how much his teachings truly affected me and how I live my life and teach my students. I think of him every day, and he means the world to me as a model of how to live a pure and honest life.

4. How did their lesson change your life?

It made it possible for me to share this idea that anyone can do anything! The definition of success that we have adopted comes from Coach Wooden’s idea that you give your best when your best is needed. When you truly work to be the very best you can be, there is a level of self-satisfaction you get…a sense of true peace with yourself and what you have accomplished. That peace of mind, knowing you did your best to become the best you can be, is true personal success. I feel that sense of peace about what we have done with The 100 Mile Club. We give our best every day, as we expect our students to do.

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

Absolutely. The Mission of The 100 Mile Club is to provide to all students the opportunity to experience the powerful feeling of fitness and TRUE personal success by Accepting the Challenge of running 100 miles at school during a single school year. These feelings of true personal success and fitness are ones that will carry a student to new levels of achievement in all areas: academics, athletics, and implementation of the valuable life skills such as those identified in the bricks of Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

The first year we implemented the 100 Mile Club, we had no idea if it would help our students or not. We didn’t really have a plan. All we knew was that we were going to help these kids run 100 miles and earn a medal. Beyond that, we were simply “going with the flow” and listening to our students tell us how it should go. We learned a LOT! The kids ran daily that year, and most ran 100 miles (or more).

As the 100 Mile Club evolved and the years passed, we began to notice some very consistent patterns. First, the students were calmer, mentally centered, and more teachable after running in the mornings. At the same time, they were awake and focused. Their blood was pumping to those muscles…especially the brain! Next, our students’ attendance improved significantly and parents reported that their kids now loved school, and especially loved running! The morning battle to get to school on time was now almost nonexistent because the kids wanted to get there and run. Kids also improved physically. They lost weight, began to make better food choices, and saw their bodies as part of their total self…their body was a tool that they had to keep sharp and focused for maximum success. Finally, our students showed improved social skills. They saw their class as their team. They encouraged one another, engaged in healthy competition, celebrated accomplishments, and comforted one another on those “off days”. Our students now simply had something in common, something to talk about with one another. So in truth, I have spent these last 20 years learning from my students as much as they have learned from me.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

We like to emphasize the program’s simplicity. Teachers and administrators do not want to think of the club as “one more thing to manage.” I would encourage that message to the children as well. You don’t have to spend hours a day doing something in order to be healthier. Little by little, every smart choice can make a difference. A few months ago, the 100 Mile Club was named National Winner in the Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP) Innovation Competition! ASAP scours the country for programs that are helping to fight childhood obesity. ASAP awarded us $100K to help scale and grow the program. One of the reasons we believe we won is the idea that fitness and health can be incorporated into children’s lives easily without disruption Many of our kids walk before school when they would otherwise be killing time watching tv, or at lunch time when they would otherwise be at a loss of how to get moving.

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

Yes, Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP) http://www.activeschoolsasap.org/ and www.100mileclub.com