KIDS FIT FOR A ROSE BOWL-SIZE CHALLENGE HEALTH FINISHES FIRST IN 5K EVENT.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff writer

PASADENA - Nearly 10,000 children, parents and educators poured out of the Rose Bowl on Saturday for a five-kilometer run/walk at the Kids Fitness Challenge.

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard told the noisy and excited crowd that they "honored" the city with their participation.

"Our society is starting to realize that the benefits of affluence have an underside, and it's obesity and diabetes," Bogaard said afterward. "This is a great event to teach thousands of young people and all of us the importance of a healthy lifestyle."

Bogaard, 68, said he views his own regular gym workout as a "quiet time to think through the issues with perspective," as well as a way to keep physically fit.

It's a message many youngsters at the event said they have already taken to heart.

Sevada Artunyan, 11, Estineh Gerigoryan, 12, and Anasi Hosepian, 12, all of Tujunga, said they were looking forward to the 3.1-mile challenge.

"We want to get strong," Sevada said. "We want to get healthy, and not get big, and live for a long time."

Sponsored by the California Department of Health Services, Bally Total Fitness, the Daily News, KNBC (Channel 4) and others, the Kids Fitness Challenge is part of California Public Health Week.

Participants included NFL legend Jerry Rice; Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld, chairman of the governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Los Angeles City Councilman Alex Padilla; kickboxer Ethan Minor with Bally Fitness; Olympic gold medalist Quincy Watts; Channel 4 news anchor Colleen Williams; and Ryan Benson, the winner of TV's "The Biggest Loser."

KNBC president and general manager Paula Madison told the children in the crowd that she was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago. Since then, she has completed three marathons.

"Before you watch TV, run," Madison, 53, said. "Before you sit down on the couch, go out and get some exercise and while you're at it, grab your mom, grab your dad, your grandfather, your grandmother, and make them join you."

Rice, 43, who not only had a 20-year career as a wide receiver in the NFL but also took second place recently on TV's "Dancing with the Stars," said he was pleased to see so many parents at the event with their children.

"Parents can get active with their kids; it's a great time to do things together," Rice said. "If they see you being active, they'll know it's something positive."

Outside the Rose Bowl, kids could scramble up two rock-climbing towers and an obstacle course in the Bally Fitness Zone, take a hip-hop class or get free health screenings, visit food demonstrations and check out interactive health booths.

Paula Baird, 47, a teacher at Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palas Verdes, and her daughter, Sophia, 8, were impressed with the size of the crowd and the positive spirit.

"Kids are taught to be so competitive - who's the prettiest? Who's the smartest?" said Baird, of San Pedro, who, along with her daughter, takes ballet lessons as a way to stay fit. "It's really nice to come to an event that's not competitive and where everyone's a winner.

"I have students who will give up because they can't be the best, and I always remind them that they should strive for their personal best."

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Participants of the Kids Fitness Challenge 5k make their way through the tire section of the obstacle course Saturday just before reaching the finish line at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer