The running nuns and kids of St. Charles Children’s Home are a familiar sight every day on the streets of Rochester, and now they have decided to take their enthusiasm for running online by launching their own Web site at RunningNuns.com. (Continued below)

With their blog about running with kids and the new site’s tie-in with social networks Facebook and Twitter, the sisters hope to build an online community of interest around their running program that will inspire more parents to run with their kids.

The new Web site will continue to supply all the necessary information about the annual Labor Day St. Charles Children’s Home 5k Road Race. It will also include tips for parents who want to begin running with their kids. With the blog and social networking tools, the sisters hope to generate discussions about the benefits of running with kids. They also hope to provide encouragement to anyone who wants to begin running but hasn’t had the courage to try yet.

"When I first started running with the kids the running program had already been in place for a while. The kids were in much better shape that I was! Those first 30 days I took Tylenol every day. I know all about how hard it is to begin running," said Sister Mary Agnes, the coordinator of the St. Charles Children’s Home 5k.

Sister Maximilian, the founder of the running program at St. Charles, said, "I think one of the most beautiful parts of our running program is that it has inspired many parents to begin running with their kids. We find the afternoon run each day with the kids to be a great opportunity for communication—something that just doesn’t happen as effectively when you are trying to put the evening meal on the table and help them with their homework."

Founded during the summer of 1996, the running program at St. Charles was developed to help the children cope with the stress and anger often accompanying placement and separation issues. A natural antidepressant, running enables the enhancement of each child’s self esteem. The levels of training and competition vary, depending on each child’s age and ability, up to 4 miles a day, five days a week. The children participate in 5k and 8k road races in the Seacoast area.

The St. Charles Children’s Home is a New Hampshire Catholic Charities program. The sisters and children are all avid runners and participate in many road races.

OUTISDE LINKS: Running Nuns and St. Charles Home