By Kathleen McAuliffe

Just after the final bell on a Wednesday afternoon, 50 middle students at Gage Park’s Sawyer Elementary School embark on a three-mile run in preparation for their next race: the Lakefront 5K on Saturday, March 18. They are just one of 12 teams involved in Running Mates, a year-round running program established by Chicago Run, a nonprofit seeking to promote fitness in under-resourced schools on the South and West Side, as well as Berwyn.