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Kids grow with running and STEM

Atlanta Track Club shows local youth how fitness and STEM can enhance their lives. 
A young boy jumping over obstacles in a park.

Atlanta Track Club is committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta through running and walking. They also want to help kids succeed in life and stay healthy. That’s why they’ve collaborated with Microsoft to mix technology and STEM with sports kids love, like running.

Microsoft and Atlanta Track Club recently partnered in a special event to bring fitness and tech to kids. Held during the Midweek Mile and Dash—a monthly free event—kids spent the day running along paths in a park, dashing 50 meters in a field, and experiencing technology. Atlanta Track Club believes STEM can be fun and approachable when associated with exciting activities.

Atlanta Track Club believes that running and walking are the key to aerobic fitness, so we get kids started very young.
Rich Kenah
Atlanta Track Club CEO

The goal was to meet kids at the track and show them how exercise and technology could enhance their lives. Before the Mile and Dash began, kids built and played with tech. They coded a video game and a pedometer they could use daily, allowing them to discover and develop skills to help them succeed. Learning these skills at an early age is crucial to maintaining a lifelong interest.

Code, create, and play with your own Peach Racer!

A screenshot of the Peach Racer game

MakeCode, a free online learn-to-code game platform, taught kids how to code their own Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race-themed arcade game, Peach Racer. They watched the game come to life and were able to interact with their creation.

If we can bring STEM to where the kids are, it just makes it a little bit more fun. Hopefully, it inspires them to see other things they can do with STEM.
Monica Robbins
Microsoft Director of Sports Partnerships

Building their own StepCounter 3000 enabled kids to track their fitness journeys. They learned how tech and running are intertwined, giving them the power to change and share fitness habits.

A young girl is running in a race.
A woman and a young girl using a tablet computer.

Technology and innovation are driving Atlanta, cultivating opportunities for the next generation to succeed in STEM. Microsoft is proud to be helping develop the city as a tech destination. By adding resources to the community and partnering with local organizations, we’re empowering kids to perform better.