Crazy hats and fun reign at KidSpirit run at Willamette Park

By KYLE ODEGARD

Gazette-Times reporter

CORVALLIS - Oregon State University student Meghan Leineweber's jogging outfit for Saturday morning included an unusual element - a pink Hello Kitty shower cap.

And no, she wasn't concerned about a freak Oregon rain.

"I just decided it would be different, unique," Leineweber said.

Overall, though, it wasn't too out-of-the-ordinary for Willamette Park on Saturday. The second annual Running With Hattitude 1K and 5K races were held there, and it featured plenty of other crazy headgear, such as a coonskin cap, pirate hats, beanies, bandannas and more.

The race is organized by KidSpirit at Oregon State University, and about half the estimated 200 participants were children in its Chefs on the Move and Girls on the Run programs.

Leineweber was the head instructor for Chefs on the Move, where nearly 200 children in eighth grade through kindergarten jogged and learned how to prepare nutritious meals. She said children can get a big boost in confidence by learning to run better.

Nine-year-old Katie Friedt of Corvallis, wearing a rainbow-sequined beret, said Chefs on the Move was "really cool and fun.

"The last day, you know the big track down at OSU? I ran that seven times," Friedt said.

Friedt joked that her strategy for the 5K would be to go with the flow, as well as take advantage of her sparkling hat. "I'm going to blind everybody so I can pass them," she chuckled.

Eight-year-old Rio Jensen's homemade hat included puffy balls, feathers, a tie-dye felt covering and pipe cleaners.

She was part of the Chefs on the Move program, too, and while she'd never ran so far, her favorite part was the enchiladas they cooked.

Her mom, Barb Jensen, said that Rio now wants to help in the kitchen. "She's in there cutting vegetables," Barb Jensen said.

Girls on the Run, which gets girls jogging to help work on self-esteem and body image issues, has had about 150 participants in third through eighth grade this year, said Karen Swanger, program coordinator for KidSpirit.

KidSpirit, which offers a variety of sports, activities and camps throughout the year, also holds runs every fall and spring.

Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.