Education is a marathon

MUKILTEO - Kirk Kaas-Lent parted ways with some old friends the other day in hopes of sending a message to youngsters about the virtues of hard work.

The teacher and his family gave away medals they earned in grueling long-distance foot races and swim meets to Columbia Elementary School first-grade students at the end of the school year.

"We want to give them to the kids in hopes of it being a real heartfelt message about perseverance," Kaas-Lent said.

In marathon running, it's not necessarily where you finish, but that you finish, and that message is appropriate in education, too, Kaas-Lent said.

"Nobody said to us, 'You are too slow,'" he said. "We all got to take our own time and we all got to finish the race at the end."

Kaas-Lent won't be running any more marathons or competing in triathlons after suffering a heart attack.

The medals from Northwest competitions and beyond were given to three classrooms of first-graders whose teachers often worked in teams dividing their classes.

Joya Crawford, another first-grade teacher, said the medals should serve as an important symbol as the children study them over the years while marking progress.

"They have worked so hard and come so far," she said.

Many brought back special memories to Kaas-Lent as he handed them out, such as his Boston Marathon medal.

There was also his wife Greta's first marathon medal, a Seattle marathon run with his son, Liam, and many of his daughter Bekha's swimming medals.

It was, the family agreed, a chance for every child to feel successful.

"Wow," said first-grader Neo King, looking down at the marathon medal.

Several students planned to hide their medals in their rooms.

Kaas-Lent said he hopes the students don't forget the underlying message as they get older.

"You need to keep going," he said. "If it gets hard, there are a lot of adults here to support you to get you to the finish line."

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.