Endurance and Stamina Building Running Games and Fun Runs for High School Runners

By Rick Morris

Traditional high school training runs can sometime become a bit tedious. There's no reason not to make your high school training runs fun and enjoyable. Here are some ideas to spice up your high school running routine with fun running games and workouts.

Watermelon Run

This is a moderate distance endurance training run with a twist. Have your team run between 3 and 6 miles while handing a watermelon back and forth between all athletes doing the training run. The reward is at the end of this run when the team gets to enjoy eating the watermelon. Of course they have to get the watermelon to the end of the run in one piece!

1600 Meter Change Up

Here is a fun track relay where you don't carry the baton, you wear it! Form several teams of two runners. The first runner of each group must put on 4 extra large t shirts or if it's cold out - sweatshirts. Each runner then runs 1600 meters. At the end of each of the four laps of their run they must take off one of their shirts and hand them to their team mate who puts them on. After the fourth lap their team mate starts their first 1600 meter run wearing all four shirts and repeats the process. Repeat so that each team mate runs 3  x 1600 meter segments. The first team that has both team members complete 3 x 1600 meter repeats wins.

Destroy Your Team Mate

Here is a fun team training run that can get a bit competitive and involve some pay back. Place your runners into groups that are able to run similar paces. Have each group elect a leader who chooses the type of run the group does for the next 5 minutes. Each group should alternate leaders every 5 minutes. The current leader of the group then performs the workout and training pace of their choice. The idea is for each leader to try to "destroy their team mates" with a hard workout.

Single Line Pursuit

This fun running workout combines moderate to long tempo runs with faster speed building surges. Not only is this workout fun but it is great for developing the ability of your athletes to change pace and surge during races. You can do this training run on the track, road or trail. Have your athletes run in a single file line at tempo pace for between 2 and 8 miles depending upon their level and goal race. Throughout the training run the last runner in the line should sprint to the front of the line and slow back to tempo pace. There should be a continuous motion of the last runner in line sprinting to the front.

Double Line Pursuit

Here is a fun pursuit workout that you can do on the track. Divide your runners into two groups of equal numbers on opposite sides of the track. The athletes should then run at easy endurance pace in a single file line. At your whistle the front runner in each line should run at sprint pace until they catch the group in front of them. As soon as the chase runner from each group reaches the group in front of them blow your whistle again to send the next front runner on the chase. Continue this for the duration of your workout. I would suggest a distance of between 2 and 4 miles.

One Mile Prediction Run

This fun run is great for teaching your runners the art of pacing. Have each runner give you a predicted mile finishing time. Then take away their watches and send them on a mile run. The runner that finishes the closest to their predicted time wins a prize.

You can also do this prediction run by giving each athlete a different pace for them to meet. This method will force them to learn different paces.