The overall health and physical fitness of Canadian students is now a leading concern in Canadian schools. Based on my classroom experience, I know that we have developed many opportunities for children to participate in exercise, such as daily physical activity, run clubs, cross-country running, track-and-field programs, Fitness Before the Bell, and Heart and Stroke Jump Rope for Heart. Teachers have also incorporated their own fitness routines between lessons to refresh their students’ minds.
Some children respond to these opportunities with enthusiasm, while others hesitate, especially when they are not able to achieve the outcome of winning a medal, receiving an award, or showing the top fitness among their friends.
That is why I started paying attention to Dino Runs—child-focused races with an age-appropriate theme. Founded by Lily Wu, they gained real popularity in Ontario during the summer of 2026. Wu, a registered nurse with a Master’s degree in nursing and the mother of two young sons, created an exciting fitness option for young children and their families. The idea originated from Lily’s observation of her older son. In 2023, she noticed that her then five-year-old was losing interest in competitive physical activities. She wanted to promote a lifelong love of physical fitness in him without the typical competitiveness.
My reason for visiting the Dino Run event in Earl Bales Park in Toronto, in June 2026, was clear and simple—after hearing an interview with Lily Wu on the Athletics Ontario Running Podcast, I recognized a valuable educational lesson in her concept for her not-for-profit organization, Dino Run Foundation. Dino Run is a running series focused on fostering healthy physical activities, enriched by interactive adventure stories, and free from traditional running pressures.
When children, their parents, and grandparents join the Dino Run, everybody gets involved in chasing dinosaurs—the volunteers wearing inflatable dinosaur costumes. The main goal is to save the world by catching dinosaurs and giving them high-fives. Other components include listening to dinosaur stories in reading circles, learning about dinosaurs, brainstorming words of encouragement for each other, and enjoying the community coming together for fun activities.
Every Dino Run now attracts hundreds of children and their families. An actor—Dr. Tracy Rex—leads the crowd through the Dino Run loops, circle time, a special guest, the Double Dare Run, a visit to the Dino Run Market (featuring children who want to try their entrepreneurial skills in business), and the Family Awards Ceremony.
Lily Wu’s creative ideas may inspire educators who feel the need to rethink and reorganize fitness programs in our schools. Replacing or softening the highly competitive aspects of sports by encouraging fun physical activities could be very helpful, especially for pre-primary and primary-age students.
Lily and her team expanded a typical running activity into a community celebration when physical and mental health became a focus for participating families. By inviting special guest Katie Sin—a young mom and author of a self-published children’s book Marin’s Magic Cheer—participants had an opportunity to listen to a story about the power of encouragement, read aloud by the author.
In the book, a little girl, Marin, is cheering for her mom and other runners to be brave and strong. She jumps, skips, dances, and strikes funny poses. Her efforts make the run enjoyable for all participants. When the mom reaches the finish line, Marin concludes, “It doesn’t matter how she did, she makes me proud to be her kid.”
The book, illustrated by Karina Kulikova, was a great addition to the Dino Run reading circle time. Children actively participated in finding the most appropriate words of encouragement for everybody who was involved in running.
Another impressive part of the event was the Dino Run Market. Elementary school-age children tried out their entrepreneurial ideas. A thirteen-year-old girl and her seven-year-old brother were selling elaborate bookmarks and stickers. Two young sisters were encouraging their customers to buy painted rocks and colourful jewelry. An eloquent young entrepreneur was skillfully advertising 3D-printed eggs of many colours with tiny dinosaurs inside. He was able to explain how he printed them at home, making sure that the design of baby dinosaurs differed. This way, he created an element of surprise for his customers.
Throughout the entire event, I noticed that there were many cheer signs held by the parents. Some were created just before the run, using a ready-made printout, while other signs were brought by the parents and older siblings from home, printed on cardboard.
The children knew that they could take a break any time they felt tired. They were then directed to drawing stations or tables with healthy snacks and water, offered free of charge by the Farm Boy, a Canadian specialty food retailer and grocery chain that operates in Ontario.
Although the weather was rather hot, the dance party on the grass near Dr. Tracy Rex and her microphone was very popular as well. Appropriate clothes, hats, proper hydration, sunscreen available for children and their families, and places to rest on the grass in the shade with a book about dinosaurs were thoughtfully planned in advance in communication with all families. The award ceremony allowed the children to reflect on Dino Run, and every child received a special dinosaur ribbon.
There is no doubt in my mind that running without stress, enjoying adventure stories, and creating your own, individual family-supported experience foster a lifelong love for healthy physical activities. How it could be used in our schools depends on us teachers, community support, and communication between schools, local businesses, and not-for-profit organizations.
References
The Athletics Ontario Running Podcast featured Dino Run in Episode 225, with guest Lily Wu, the founder of the race series
Katie Sin, Marin’s Magic Cheer, Book cover and illustrations by Karina Kulikova, www. marinsmagiccheer.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Nike Leskowsky
Anna Nike Leskowsky is a Toronto-based journalist, poet, and a self-taught artist who came to Canada from Poland in 1990 and worked as an elementary school teacher until she retired in 2018. She has written articles, first-person essays, modern poetry, sonnets, and haiku. Anna’s writing and art have been featured in many Canadian and international magazines.
This article is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2026 issue.
