ROSINTON, Ala. — Ready! Set! GO! The “Rosinton Runners,” a group of fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Rosinton Elementary and their parents, interested adults and some very serious runners are ready to take off March 14

The event is the school’s annual “Armadillo Dash,” which combines a certified course for the 5K run, a one-mile fun run, and a 5K walk. The race begins at 8 a.m. Last year, more than 500 participated in the run.

This year, there will be a few new events for those who think running shoes are a fashion statement, not pieces of serious athletic gear.

There will be an “Armadillo Egg Hunt” for youngsters, and an “Armadillo Crawl” for infants. There will also be an art show and a silent auction of baskets created by each classroom for adults to enjoy and a “jumpy” or “bounce house” for the kids.

The good the race does lasts all year.

“The money we raise is used to help offset the fees our Rosinton Runners need to participate in races,” said Theresa Hardin, the school’s principal.

The “Runners” number about 90 students. The group meets Tuesday and Thursdays after school for practice.

The run, Hardin says, was started by Lonny Hughes, a former teacher at the school to raise money to support the “Runners.”

“It’s a positive thing for the kids to do,” said Daniel McCrory, a physical education teacher at the school who has taken over managing the run.

“It’s not a competitive thing, and they get excited,” he said.

McCrory added that youngsters who can’t run the whole distance, like those with asthma, are encouraged to run and walk the course. The final time is not important, just that the youngster did his or her best and took part.

To have a running club in and elementary school is unusual, Hardin says.

“It’s important for the students to have a physical activity,” said Hardin. “This also helps with discipline. You can’t practice if you have an infraction. It’s amazing how much the kids love to run.”

Adult runners are welcome to run the Armadillo Dash, Hardin added.

“It is a certified 5K run, so we have runners coming from all over,” Hardin said. “We have them come in campers.”

Certification means the course has been measured according to strictly defined rules.

The run is also a way for students to show affection for their teachers. A group of teachers runs with the students, and two years ago Patti Zakutney, a kindergarten teacher at the school got an unusual request.

“My first class of kindergartners asked me to come and run with them,” she said. Zakutney had taught fourth and fifth grade before moving to the younger students. Touched, Zakutney has been a fixture with the Runners.

“She’s my favorite teacher,” said Kaitlyn Conway, a Runner and a sixth grade student at the school.

The best part of participating in the group, says Conway is the running itself.

“We get to go out to run and have fun,” she said.

For Mark Stanton Jr. a student at the school, the race is a chance to follow in his father’s sneaker steps.

“My dad used to be a runner,” the younger Stanton said.

For Kelly Coberly, a sixth-grader, running is a “way to be healthy.”

At first, the students practiced on a track “cut with a lawnmower,” Hardin says of the track beside the school. The track was recently converted to a quarter-mile asphalt oval.

That paved track, something few elementary schools have, has led to benefits for the community, Hardin says.

“The community uses the track. We have at least one ladies group and other groups who use it,” said Hardin.

While she’s not sure she has all the money in hand, Hardin says that she hopes to one day put lights on the track. She’s told it will cost about $90 in electric bills a month to light the track.