Every year the Kiwanis de Amigos hosts a cross country meet called the Rattlesnake Run at Christopher Columbus Park. Middle school cross country teams across southern Arizona are invited to participate free of charge!

There are two heats for both boys and girls— the A and B heats. The top seven runners on a team run in the A heat for both boys and girls and the rest who want to run are placed in the B heat. This year 158 girls and 199 boys participated. This represented 13 girls’ teams and 15 boys’ teams.

The top five finishers receive a medal and the sixth through 20th runners receive a special Kiwanis pin. The top three teams also received a plaque to recognize their win. I ran with my middle school team from Dove Mountain CSTEM this year and we placed fourth. I received a pin for finishing 15th in the girls’ A race.

 It was a fun experience and I would recommend it for any middle school runner.

If you would like to learn more about the Kiwanis de Amigos and the work they do to support kids in our community, visit kiwanisdeamigos.org .