Eastbluff Elementary School hosts annual jog-a-thon

Students of every size and age at Eastbluff Elementary School ran as fast as their legs could take them Friday.

The Newport Beach school’s annual Otter Rock and Run jog-a-thon featured about 415 students jogging and sprinting as many laps as they could around a 250-yard track that parents drew on Eastbluff’s field.

Parents, teachers and members of the Newport Beach Fire Department stood on the sidelines to cheer and high-five the runners as they blazed past.

“It was hot, sweaty and tiring,” second-grader Kate Nourse said with a laugh. “But I just wanted to reach the finish line.”

The event was part of a four-week fundraising effort and school competition that students participated in to benefit the Eastbluff PTA. Each class was responsible for collecting donations.

At Friday’s jog-a-thon, the classes earned points for showing their school spirit in a cheer contest and running laps around the track.

Members of the class with the most points and money raised combined would be the champions of the competition.

In the end, kindergarten teacher Caroline Campbell’s class emerged victorious.

“These folks might be the youngest at Eastbluff, but they are the mightiest,” Campbell said.