FAIRFAX, Va. — For the George Mason women's cross country team, Fairfax's streets and winding trails serve as a regular training ground. But the Patriots' connection to the community extends beyond their daily runs.

Through Run Fairfax, the local chapter of Run Your City, a national nonprofit that introduces kids to running through cost-free, inclusive programs, George Mason student-athletes on the women's cross country team have been volunteering their time and sharing their love of running with local children.

Now in its second season, Run Fairfax provides a welcoming environment where young runners can be active, develop sportsmanship, and build connections with their peers. The local chapter was launched this past spring when Alexa Pinon, a junior kinesiology major, heard from a member of Run Your City's founding team about plans to expand the organization. Within weeks, the initiative was up and running in Fairfax.

"I was like, 'Wait, I think this would be a really cool thing,'" said Pinon, who serves as the chapter's co-president. "I got on a meeting with [the Run Your City representative], and then within two weeks I got some of the cross country girls to form a leadership team, and then we just got things rolling. Before we knew it, we started up."

Run Fairfax uses Run Your City's campus-led model, which features two six-week seasons each year. Open to all kids in grades K-8, runners take part in weekly, hour-long practices led by George Mason student-athletes, building toward a pair of race days that celebrate their progress.

At each practice, Pinon and the other Patriot cross country volunteers — sophomore mechanical engineering major Hazel Wells, junior psychology and criminology double-major Miranda Pinon, sophomore integrative science major Lindsay Meadows, senior psychology major Sarah Clark, and junior forensic science major Brenna Elchenko  — split the runners by age group and focus on a weekly theme, such as teamwork or sportsmanship.

"It's teaching them about running and doing it in a way that's not competitive and draining, but fun, while bringing the community together," said Pinon. "We'll have two races each fall and spring semester. We have bibs for them, we run heats by age group, and we even hold a little award ceremony where we give them medals and trophies. It's just an hour each week, but you'd be surprised how much we get done."

Running is the foundation of Run Fairfax, but facilitating real-world connections among the community's youngest residents is a pillar of the program. Whether they're spending time with classmates or making new friends, the weekly practices give participants a fun reason to put their screens away and get active.

"A lot of them go to school together, so they're like, 'oh, she's in my class, or he's in my class,'" said Pinon. "They get to see each other during school and then go play sports together. It's a positive connection to activity because we play games and get them active without them even realizing it. They're having connections in person and getting off their iPads."

Additionally, Run Fairfax offers an alternative to the competitive pressures and financial barriers that can accompany organized youth sports.

"They don't have to pay — we have a GoFundMe that provides any equipment that we use, like cones or little hurdles," said Pinon. "There's a lot of toxic culture in sports right now where it's really competitive, and it's really taking away the love of the sport for the kids. I think Run Your City is a place where you're just there because you want to be there."

The love between NOVA's Team and the Northern Virginia community goes both ways. With over 80 kids attending one race day last spring, Fairfax's support and appreciation for the program have been overwhelming.

"Being far from home," said Pinon, who moved to George Mason from her hometown of Westlake Village, California, "I've made Fairfax a new home, and getting involved in something like this where I get to connect with a lot of parents and young runners is really rewarding. It really makes me feel like I'm a part of the community and that I'm immersing myself in this new environment."

Like Pinon, another Run Fairfax leader, senior Sarah Clark, has found a meaningful way to connect with the community through Run Fairfax. The Erie, Pennsylvania, native has embraced a leadership role on the cross country team this season, and her Run Fairfax volunteering experience has taught lessons that extend to her own time on the track and beyond.

"It has meant so much to help the Fairfax kids," said Clark. "I have learned that even the smallest things can have an impact on others. Showing up to practice and simply creating a fun and engaging environment for these kids means so much to them, and even the little things make the kids smile, which is very rewarding."

For the Patriot runners, the experience has offered an opportunity to make a difference beyond competition, and it's an effort that hasn't gone unnoticed by their coaches.

"I am incredibly impressed with the body of work these ladies have developed in this community service space," said George Mason cross country assistant coach Tony Mihalich. "Alexa especially has really gone above and beyond to make this happen the way it has, and to bridge George Mason University to Fairfax and Northern Virginia. Not only are we well represented in the community, but using running as the medium to develop young minds' character, sense of self, and relationship to the sport is super fulfilling to see. I hope the athletes are proud of themselves; they should be."

As the Patriots build toward the culmination of their own season — George Mason cross country travels to the Princeton Invitational this Friday, Oct. 16, for its final regular season meet before the Atlantic 10 Championships —  Pinon, Clark, and their fellow volunteers are in the thick of building toward another race day for the next generation of runners at Run Fairfax.

With sessions still remaining in Run Fairfax's fall season, the volunteers look forward to more opportunities to bring the community together.

"A favorite memory of mine was definitely the race we put on last spring," said Clark. "That was such a fun day for everyone, and the environment was just really cool to see. All the kids and parents came together to cheer everyone on, and it just seemed like the kids really enjoyed it."

"There was this one kid at the race who was screaming for everybody across all the different age groups," echoed Pinon. "He would scream at the top of his lungs for everyone, and all the kids were so happy for each other. At first, some of them had a hard time understanding that it's okay to lose. And, win or lose, the most important thing is to be happy for each other. When they finally got to the race at the end, I feel it all kind of clicked for them; they're very supportive of each other."

For those interested in participating, registration is still open for this fall HERE.