Community Corner

7-Year-Old Finishes First 5K

Jude Polard of Upper Moreland pushed himself to complete The Color Run and is already planning to run in more races.

Original reporting by Theresa Katalinas

Jude Polard ran, sprinted, jogged and walked through the pain of a falling off toenail to finish his first-ever 5K.

What’s the big deal, you ask? Jude, of Upper Moreland Township, is 7 years old and, just a few years ago, was overweight and uninterested in physical activity.

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His family’s healthy eating and exercising makeover turned the Upper Moreland Primary School second-grader’s perspective all around, propelling him to run–not walk–past adults on Sunday as part of The Color Run in Philadelphia, as temperatures climbed to beyond-uncomfortable degrees. 

Toenail discomfort aside, Jude told Patch that “it was easier” than he had expected. 

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“At the end, we got to fill a package up and I dumped like half of the bag on myself.  I got the color green,” said Jude, an avid fan of The Incredible Hulk. “It was really, really fun.”

In all, 26,000 ran in The Color Run on Sunday, according to his mom, Becca, who, along with her husband Greg and their 3-year-old son Alex, ran (and were pushed in a stroller) along with Jude. The family saw clusters of kids ages 10 to 14 and young adults in their 20s, but very few kids Jude’s age, Becca said.

“Jude was one of the younger participants on foot and he pushed himself pretty far exercise-wise ... stronger than some of the grownups on the course,” Becca wrote in an e-mail to Patch. “He never faltered and never complained or whined. I noticed a few grimaces on his face a couple times, but he didn't quit or stop. He was beyond determined.” 

In all, his dad estimated that Jude jogged “close to a mile of it.”

“He was definitely pushing himself, which is something we didn’t always see,” Greg said. “It was nice to see him get out of his comfort zone.”

As he dashed through the various color stations (pink was his favorite), Becca shared that Jude’s “moon face” was aglow. “When he smiles, his face lights up like the moon,” the proud mom said.

At the end, “he was covered in sweat and color,” Becca said.

The Polard family is planning to sign up for the Hatboro YMCA’s Skeleton Skurry 5K in October and the Abington YMCA’s Gobble Wobble run in November, according to Becca. Of course, the Polards have already decided to do The Color Run again next July.

Seeing Jude work so hard inspired the entire family to keep the momentum going, she said.

“When he saw the finish line he just perked up,” Becca said. “He dashed. He dashed ahead of me.”


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