Santa Barbara Christian School will host its first Santa Barbara Youth Races on Saturday at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium.

The event will host more than 200 participants who can compete in track and field events such as the long and high jump, 100- and 400-meter dash, and a 5-kilometer run or walk around the track. There will also be a 4×100 and 4×400 meter relay and a 1K race.

All participants have been encouraged to run in the 5K race, and parents of participants are welcomed to run with their children.

David Goss, chairman of the Santa Barbara Youth Races, was encouraged to start the event after working as a physical education teacher at a middle school in Southern California. There, Goss started a track and field club where students would get together and aim to reach personal achievements in running.

“The kids had so much fun,” Goss said, adding that every runner improved his or her time and was encouraged to run track and field. “The good feelings I took away from that experience fostered (this event).”

He said Santa Barbara Christian School has a large extracurricular program that includes a lot of physical fitness, allowing it to support the idea of the youth races and host the event.

To prepare for the races, Santa Barbara Christian School coordinated with SBCC to see if it could use its facilities for the races. Additionally, Goss said it worked with corporate sponsors to help ensure the registration fee for participants remained low.

As the community prepares for the races, Goss said Santa Barbara Christian School has received an overwhelmingly positive response.

“This is a very active town,” Goss said, adding that people recognize that this is all about the kids and have shared plenty of good will toward all forms of running.

Overall, Goss hopes participants walk away from the races with a feeling of “unity in the community, physical fitness and healthy life styles, and the fun of track and field.”

“I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to this so much,” Goss said. “It’s going to be a fun, fun day.”

— Noozhawk intern Alexa Shapiro can be reached at ashapiro@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.