By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

PELHAM – More than 750 Valley Intermediate School third, fourth and fifth graders ran 100 meters to be a part of a Guinness World Record title Oct. 26.

National Geographic Kids challenged schools and organizations internationally to “Run for the Planet” by breaking the record of the most people running 100 meters in 24 hours. To break the record, more than 5,000 people worldwide needed to run between Oct. 26 at noon and Oct. 27 at noon.

The challenge also included a second challenge to create the longest chain of shoes, which will be recycled into athletic surfaces. More than 25,000 shoes will need to be collected and sent to National Geographic Society headquarters by Nov. 9 to break the record, according to a press release.

“We have fitness one day a week, so this is something different for them,” physical education teacher Casey Smith said. “Wellness is big here. We really push for our physical fitness and wellness.”

If the records are broken worldwide, Valley Intermediate will be listed in the Guinness World Record book.

As physical education teacher Jacob Taylor finished lining up kids to run the 100 meters, students who had finished came back to ask if they could run again.

“It gets kids excited about running and how running can be fun,” Taylor said. “It’s also a way for us to partner with other people to reach a goal.”

Students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham volunteered to help run the event, since the school needed “independent witnesses for the verification process,” Taylor said.

For more information about the challenge, visit Kids.nationalgeographic.com/run-for-the-planet.