Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activities Available to Students in K-12 Education

Abstract

Rising New York Road Runners (RNYRR) is the youth program located within the community impact department of New York Road Runners. New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through the physical activity of running. NYRR is committed to establishing free community-based running programs for young people. RNYRR has experienced a decline in site participation of schools, after-school programs, and community centers from grades K-12, primarily in New York City and nationwide, from over 1,300 pre-COVID to just above 800 for the 2022-2023 school year. I collected and analyzed survey and focus group data from Rising New York Road Runners program leads, interviewed the program administrators, and compiled a document analysis of artifacts produced and distributed by RNYRR. The findings of my study included: RNYRR program leads grappled with how to deal with their youth’s loss of interest in sport during COVID-19 and when the lockdowns were lifted. They had limited access to strategies to enhance student participation, which impacted their youth's re-engagement in the running programs. RNYRR may have engaged in a too-quick return to normal. In their artifacts available online and within the curriculum that they provide, there is no inclusion of how to consider the impact of COVID-19 in NYC on the youth that are served in their programs. The likelihood of recommending RNYRR to colleagues and friends was overwhelmingly positive.