The Little Runner Who Could
Running is a family affair for this North Arlington household, and their oldest son is keeping perfect pace.
All of us set fitness goals, but how many of us can say that we meet them? When he was just 5 years old, North Arlington’s Ryden Colon set a lofty goal for himself—he wanted to run 5K when he was 6. That birthday rolled around on May 7, just in time for the 2024 Ridgewood Run, which takes place every Memorial Day. “His dad runs marathons,” explains Ryden’s mom, Lauren. “He’s done a 50-mile race in Colorado, and a few larger races as well. We’ve run family 5Ks before, but Ryden was always in the stroller,” she says. Ryden spent the year training to meet his goal, using a chore chart with rewards such as Pokémon cards and screen time to encourage 1-mile runs or workouts, in addition to reading and math time. The Colon family completed the Ridgewood Run together, as Lauren posted on her Instagram, and the numbers prove that hard work pays off. Ryden finished the run with a time of 33:29, a personal record for him, according to Mom. He was also the youngest runner to cross the finish line. “Ryden had so much fun and is so proud of himself,” Lauren adds. “He keeps saying that.”
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