10 April, 2013
Roughly 600 children from the Elmwood Elementary School in Hopkinton will shout jambo (which means greetings in Swahili) when Boston Marathon defending champions Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop, 2010 Men’s Open champion Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, 2006 Women’s Open champion Rita Jeptoo and other elite Kenyan runners arrive in the Elmwood Elementary School gym in Hopkinton on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 10 a.m., for the annual pre-race rally.
The cheering children will wave Kenyan flags and sing the Kenyan National Anthem as the Kenyan athletes enter the gymnasium. The celebration is part of the John Hancock’s Scholars and Stars program, which brings elite athletes together with school students.
After the Elmwood School students rally the team, the third-grade students will stay for the breakout sessions, where they will participate in teacher-moderated question and answer sessions with the athletes. The clinic will conclude with the Kenyan athletes taking a ceremonial jog with third-grade students. The entire event teaches the students how to go the distance through education and athletics.
