How A Youth Running Club In Round Rock Is Building Lifelong Habits

Ashlee Payne always makes a point to start off Laps and Laces with a status check. 

“How we feeling today?” she’ll ask. “Anything bothering you?”

This, she’s found, has been an effective way to gauge the room. Which is important, because Payne, a physical education teacher at Caldwell Heights Elementary School in Round Rock, is speaking with fourth and fifth-grade girls. 

Three years ago, she founded the girls-only running club—part of the Girls Movement program through Marathon Kids—because it was an opportunity to give her students a chance to see the world from a different lens. “Trying to build those bonds and instill confidence and self esteem at a young age,” Payne says. “At a young age, I want to promote that, because if they have that now, it’ll be easier to navigate challenges as they get older.” 

Laps and Laces, along with her co-ed running program Eagles Running Club—which features third, fourth and fifth grade boys and girls—makes up two clubs that reach over 150 kids. Last year, Payne registered a group of girls to run the Daisy Dash, Austin’s oldest road race on record. 

They chose between distances of 400 meters, 800 meters and the full 5,000-meter distance.

But mostly, Payne said, the group did it to experience something different in life. The experience was so rewarding that she’s taking her next handful to the Daisy Dash this year. 

“This is a goal they’ll set for themselves,” Payne said. “I tell them, ‘You can do hard things.’” 

Ashlee Payne founded Laps and Laces running club to provide better opportunities to her students.

Building A Running Club

Now in her sixth year teaching and fourth overall with Caldwell Heights, the 31-year-old Payne understands that habit-building goes beyond the classroom. 

The dual-language elementary school she works at is made up of 620 students and caters to a majority Latino population, with 60-percent of students coming from families who are economically disadvantaged. That’s one reason why Payne sought to build a social environment for students to stay active outside of school walls without fear of being judged. 

She holds Laps and Laces every Friday after school. 

“I want them to learn someone’s name,” Payne said. “I want them to get outside their comfort zone so they can become comfortable with this.” 

Payne isn’t necessarily a runner herself. She came of age in Dallas, Texas, and found herself pulled toward volleyball. As she’s gotten older, she’s signed up for a few 5Ks. Still, as a teacher, coach, and mentor, it’s less about being an “expert runner” and more about instilling value in an activity, whether it’s running, jumping or something else entirely.  

One particular story, she says, stands out. A year ago, a fourth grade girl joined the Laps and Laces program but lacked the confidence to be herself. Over weeks and weeks of running, gleams of personality began to creep out. “She was very self-conscious and shy,” Payne said. “Then she just blossomed into a new person. I talk about how she’s the poster child for what this club is supposed to be.” 

Making Running Fun

Payne knows she’s dealing with pre-teens, so every week she’s on a mission to keep the club fun and inclusive. First, there’s that weekly check-in. “We do our talks,” she says. Then comes a quick snack, and a pow wow for 10 minutes.

Each student checks in with a badge, and that badge will keep track of how long they run. Outside, the dirt track is roughly about 270 meters, so six laps will equal a mile. “We set goals,” Payne says. “I make sure each girl has an individual and personal goal.”

Afterward, Payne will convene the group and ask how it went.

“Did we meet our goal today?”

The Final Reward

The weekly runs are staples to remind Payne that these sessions have a purpose. Small wins are about showing up. The long-term reward is when the girls get out in the real world, in places like the Daisy Dash. There, they get to see how important daily activity can be for others, too.

“They get to see all types of women, from all different walks of life,” Payne said. “They’ll see people all coming together for one goal, all supporting each other. That’s what I want them to see.

“At this point, their world is small. They haven’t seen that. But it’s eye opening. That they come together to do this and they realize, ‘Yes, you do fit in.’”