On the Saturday morning of Pittsburgh Marathon weekend, thousands of students from hundreds of schools in the Pittsburgh region will take part in the Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh Kids Marathon.The kids are often referred to as Kids of Steel.“This year we have 356 schools represented, which will equate to around 11,000 kids at our start line,” said Troy Schooley, CEO of P3R, when Chronicle caught up with him at the Kids of Steel Fest on Neville Island in March.A Chronicle photojournalist also met elementary student Aara Walker that morning, who said, “I came out here to just practice. Practice my running skills and practice being good at running.”Aara is a student in Beaver County’s Hopewell Area School District, which has three elementary schools taking part in the kids marathon this year.At Independence Elementary School, parent and PTA board member Casey Biser is helping to coach the kids.“We’ll do some running to get them used to it. And then it’s just about fun, like playing different games to keep them going,” Biser said. “Because they don’t understand that. They see it as fun, but they’re still moving around it and getting that mileage in. The hardest thing is teaching them to pace themselves when they’re running, because they just want to go full on.”Meanwhile, the Hopewell Area School District’s Margaret Ross Elementary School has its own team for the kids marathon this year and received a special gift from P3R.“We got the grant from Kids of Steel, which is awesome, so that we can actually take two buses from Margaret Ross to get there,” said Anne Beitler, a Kids of Steel coach and first-grade teacher. “Because I know after the (NFL) Draft it’s going to be a mess, so I’m excited that they can go.”Beitler said the kids can expect a lot of support as well.“We have a couple of teachers coming to spectate. Our principal and our superintendent are going to walk the fun run with us. So it’s exciting to have different adults come see them in a new environment, too,” Beitler said. And at Hopewell Elementary School, James Pistorius, a Hopewell High School student, has been volunteering to help the kids who are participating.“It’s nice because I did this back whenever I was in elementary school,” he said. “So it’s good to be able to help other kids do it.”

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, Pa. —

On the Saturday morning of Pittsburgh Marathon weekend, thousands of students from hundreds of schools in the Pittsburgh region will take part in the Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh Kids Marathon.

The kids are often referred to as Kids of Steel.

“This year we have 356 schools represented, which will equate to around 11,000 kids at our start line,” said Troy Schooley, CEO of P3R, when Chronicle caught up with him at the Kids of Steel Fest on Neville Island in March.

A Chronicle photojournalist also met elementary student Aara Walker that morning, who said, “I came out here to just practice. Practice my running skills and practice being good at running.”

Aara is a student in Beaver County’s Hopewell Area School District, which has three elementary schools taking part in the kids marathon this year.

At Independence Elementary School, parent and PTA board member Casey Biser is helping to coach the kids.

“We’ll do some running to get them used to it. And then it’s just about fun, like playing different games to keep them going,” Biser said. “Because they don’t understand that. They see it as fun, but they’re still moving around it and getting that mileage in. The hardest thing is teaching them to pace themselves when they’re running, because they just want to go full on.”

Meanwhile, the Hopewell Area School District’s Margaret Ross Elementary School has its own team for the kids marathon this year and received a special gift from P3R.

“We got the grant from Kids of Steel, which is awesome, so that we can actually take two buses from Margaret Ross to get there,” said Anne Beitler, a Kids of Steel coach and first-grade teacher. “Because I know after the (NFL) Draft it’s going to be a mess, so I’m excited that they can go.”

Beitler said the kids can expect a lot of support as well.

“We have a couple of teachers coming to spectate. Our principal and our superintendent are going to walk the fun run with us. So it’s exciting to have different adults come see them in a new environment, too,” Beitler said.

And at Hopewell Elementary School, James Pistorius, a Hopewell High School student, has been volunteering to help the kids who are participating.

“It’s nice because I did this back whenever I was in elementary school,” he said. “So it’s good to be able to help other kids do it.”