Erika Small isn’t your average soccer mom.

Five years ago, while still raising her two kids, Small began waking up at 4 a.m. to run. “I ran my first marathon two years ago,” she recalls. “Then I did a 50K, then a 64 miler . . . then I ran 100 miles.” Now an avid member of the “ultra” running community, Small has turned her part-time hobby into a full-time job. After getting involved with Be Change (bechange.cc), a Sacramento-area organization that advocates for better health care at inner-city schools, Small founded Run It Forward (runitforward.cc), a local nonprofit that sponsors runs and provides health education and resources for children in need.  

Beginning May 15, Run It Forward, in partnership with Be Change and Giving Smiles (an organization that provides free dental care to underprivileged children), will hold an 18-day marathon along historic Route 66, in order to raise awareness about children’s health. They’ll stop at schools all along the way – hosting runs and helping children get food and health care. Although Small plans to sponsor many more future events, she is humble about her success. “I’m just a soccer mom with an idea,” she explains. Where did Small get the idea? She answers: “While I was running!”

For more about Erika Small, and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Roseville, Granite Bay, Rocklin edition. Click on the Get Your Copy link on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations; click on the Subscribe link on this Web site to become a regular subscriber, or to order a copy of this issue or one of our back issues, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.