Students Run Philly Style

Students Run Philly Style transforms Philadelphia youth through running and mentorship. The program’s unique mentoring model pairs adult volunteers with youth facing adversity. Students and mentors spend 10 hours per week training together, creating lasting and impactful relationships. Mentors support the students as they set goals, train, and ultimately achieve what they once thought was impossible: the completion of a full or a half marathon.

Running provides students and mentors with a shared goal, but the program impact extends well beyond the health benefits of long distance running. The Students Run Philly Style program gives Philadelphia youth a greater chance for success in life by providing positive and supportive adult role models who help young people avoid truancy, drugs, violence, and other risky behaviors while strengthening their self-confidence, social interactions, and academic engagement.

Serving youth across Philadelphia

Students Run Philly Style represents a true cross-section of Philadelphia, serving 12-18-year-olds from public, charter and parochial schools in every neighborhood in the city. More than 80% of youth participants live in zip codes with high concentrations of families living below the Federal Poverty Level. Approximately 37% of participants are African-American, 20% are Asian-American, 20% are White, and 17% are Latino/Hispanic. Program participants achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors.