Every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:15 to 7:45 about 35 students meet on the field behind Immaculate Heart of Mary School. The children, many training for their second Peachtree Junior Road Race, typically run 1.5 to 2 miles every morning to prepare for the June 3 race inside Piedmont Park.

“Training for the Peachtree Junior has been a valuable addition to our extracurricular activities,” said Greg Kaiser, IHM vice principal. “Not only do the children get to experience the excitement of the Peachtree Road Race, but they’ve learned that perseverance pays off.”

IHM School, which is located in DeKalb County but draws students from a wide area, emphasizes self-discipline as a core value and the running club members have incorporated this into their training. The Running Eagles are rewarded at the end of the season with an IHM Team Training T-shirt to be worn on race day. Parents and local businesses such as ChocoLate Coffee and Foot Solutions support the team by donating the funds for the T-shirts.

IHM School serves 500 children from kindergarten through eighth grade.