But in the last decade, there’s been a boom in children running races that were once strictly for adults. Kids as young as 5 and 6 are running with school groups, and tweens and teens are entering 5- and 10-kilometer races—and even mini-triathlons—with their parents, running clubs, and even on their own. link...I was in my 20s before I discovered running, so I’m always amazed to see young children keeping up (or passing me by) when I’m out for a jog. When I was a kid, no one ran as a sport itself; rather, we played basketball, softball, or soccer. Running laps is what you did—reluctantly—to be better conditioned for the games.