In most track competitions, runners know when the race starts, either because they stand at the starting line or hear the starting gun.

But in the One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon, more than 25,000 runners are corralled like cattle, most standing blocks away from the starting line. Many know that the race has started only because the crowd shuffles forward.

If the runner is an adolescent, the situation is worse. He or she might be unable to see over anyone's shoulders and might be more easily jostled by surrounding runners. Still, many adolescents do take part. In 2005, 121 youths ages 12 and younger participated in the Mini-Marathon. In the 13-15 age category, there were 339.

Y-Press recently interviewed 11 youths who ran in the 2005 Mini-Marathon. Ten attend Belzer Middle School in Lawrence Township and trained as a group: Amanda Holstein, 12; Ashley Marvel, 12; Mackenzie Powell, 12; Miesha Stone, 12; Andy Schuck, 14; Arthur Yang, 14; Allyson Herhusky, 13; Felicitas Strautman, 14; Lindsey Feaselman, 13; and Kyle Fenter, 12. The other, Kara Grinnage, 11, trained with her family.

Arthur, Lindsey and Allyson had run the Mini once before; Andy and Felicitas had run it twice. The others were doing it the first time.

The Belzer group began training for the 13.1-mile event in January.

"We ran usually twice a week, and we went up to 11 miles," said Allyson.

A few trained more than that. Some had been in cross country and also were running track. Arthur says he routinely runs 10 miles a day for fun. "I know it's crazy," he said. "I enjoy running."

Kara trained independently for the Mini. She went to the gym with her family about twice a week and played soccer or basketball about four days a week.

All received support from family and friends in their training. A few had relatives who were running, too. However, some faced skepticism. "They're shocked. They don't think I'm really fast," Andy said of his friends.

Diet also is an important factor in training for a long-distance run. All said they avoid fast food and agreed that, before an important race, they try to load up on carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or cold cereal. Fruit also is popular, with many kids citing apples or grapes as favorite energy foods.

The night before the race, each runner tried to prepare for the challenge ahead. Many were too anxious to sleep. "I was pretty worried," explained Ashley. Others slept well. "I went to sleep real early, and then I was just like really excited," Andy said.

The real excitement started as the runners lined up on race day. Each wore a time chip attached to one of their shoes. The chip identified them and charted their times until they crossed the finish line.

Everyone was surprised by the crowded conditions. "There were a lot of people at the starting gate. It just really surprised me how many there were," Amanda said.

"I kind of got frustrated with weaving in and out of the people, but it got better," added Ashley.

While most of the Belzer students paired off for the run, some ran with family. Kara opted to run with some members of her extended family -- her grandmother and two aunts.

Each runner found part of the race particularly hard. Many agreed with Mackenzie that the section at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the most difficult.

"Around Mile 6, when we were first getting to the Speedway, it felt like I was going to collapse or something because my legs hurt so bad," she said.

Ashley had a cramp that she had to work through around the 9-mile mark. For Andy, it was later. "At the 10-mile mark, my legs just started hurting really bad," he said. For Felicitas, it was even later. "The last mile is definitely the worst part of the race, because you have barely any energy left, and it takes a lot to try to finish," she said.

And there were other hazards.

"I wasn't prepared for the first time we went by a Gatorade stop. The bottom was really sticky, and I was trying to run and it was sticking and I almost fell over," Ashley said.

Kyle wasn't prepared for the urge to use the bathroom. "I just had to go, I didn't stop," he said.

Amanda said the running was easier near the end because she fell in with people going at her pace, but there was a drawback: "It really didn't smell too great."

Inspiration to continue running came from within themselves as well as the people around them. Most found the spectators encouraging, but what helped them most was when friends and family were nearby.

"There was like one-fourth (of a mile) to go, and my whole family was there, and they were cheering me on, so I just sprinted," said Lindsey.

Despite the many difficulties, all of the kids finished the race. Andy, who ran the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 50 minutes, 55 seconds, accomplished his goal.

"I did really well, and I beat the time I wanted," he said, surpassing his 2004 time by eight minutes. "I ran all of it, except for when I kept vomiting."

Others missed the times they had aimed for but still were happy with their accomplishments. Mackenzie said, "I was five minutes off my goal, but I felt good."

There is much to learn from physical challenges such as the Mini. Allyson, who failed by two minutes to finish under her goal of two hours, advises to keep your own pace.

"If you're running with your friends and you feel like you have to go ahead of them, run ahead of them," she said.

Many said concentrating on personal goals and not focusing on everyone else is very important. "You need to set your own goals and not try to go with someone else's," Ashley said.

Lindsey agreed. "I've learned that you're not racing people; you're racing the clock, and you're racing yourself."

REPORTERS: Jessika Officer, 12; Renee Wellman, 11.

Who we are

Y-Press is a nonprofit news organization with offices in The Indianapolis Star building. Stories are researched, reported and written by teams of young people ages 10 to 18. For more information, call (317) 444-2010 or send an e-mail to ypress@in.net.