Park City High School Sophomore Molly Leavens is preparing her team for the third annual Running with Ed relay race on May 19. Leavens organized a group this winter, and decided to ask some of her friends, who are also on the Park City Ski Team, to join her because she knew they were good athletes.

“There are a lot of athletic people on my ski team and so I gathered my team this winter and said ‘I know you’re all great runners, just start running for long distances,'” she said. There are five students, ages 14 and under in the group.

All the proceeds from the event benefit the Park City School District, so students can also get involved and give back to their schools. Running with Ed is a 41-mile relay race divided into 10 legs. It’s sponsored by the Park City Education Foundation and this year, Ragnar Relay Series is helping out. The event starts at Newpark Plaza and loops throughout Park City before ending back at Newpark.

Leavens started volunteering for the Park City Education Foundation last fall and decided Running with Ed would be another way to get involved in the community. She said the team gets together each week for a group run and practices a different leg of the race each time.

“I feel like we’re really well prepared athletically,” she said. “The first week we did the Olympic Park leg. The guy running (that leg) is one of those people who never gets tired and can run and run.”

Leavens’ squad also got together and made tie-dyed shirts for event. Their goal is to raise $1,000 for PCEF and Leavens said they are about halfway there. The most challenging aspect of being the captain is transferring information from the PCEF to her teammates to make sure everyone is on the same page, she said.

“As team captain there are a lot of tedious things to do, along with fundraising and getting the team together on the same page, but then we’re all aware of what’s happening,” she said.

The goal is to have fun, Leavens said, adding that it’s not about their finish time, but that there are kids participating and maybe even helping to motivate some adults.

For more information about Running with Ed, scheduled for May 19, starting at NewPark Plaza, visit www.runningwithed.com .