Second-Grader Runs 100 Miles to Save Sharks

Evan Smith doesn’t remember much about the day he started running, but he’s heard the story enough times to tell it.

“One time we were going on a hike and I wanted to get home really bad, so I ran,” he said. He got a head start on his dad, who said that at first he couldn’t even spot his son. With his dad closing the gap, the two were reunited after about a mile and a half, Greg Smith recalled.

“And he said, 'I’m going to sign you up for a 5K,'” Evan said.

The Long Grove resident completed his first race at age 4. Now 8, he’s completed races twice that distance. He recently earned a silver medal in the 200-meter sprint at a national USA Track and Field Junior Olympics competition, where he also placed fifth in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter races. 

“When you get to Nationals, at the end, you realize it’s not about winning, it’s just about having fun at the race, having good sportsmanship and getting better at it,” Evan said.

He gets plenty of practice, running in Chicago Area Runners Association events and training once a week with his dad, a marathon runner, on Harper College's track. In March, the younger Smith clocked 44:32 in the 8K Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago, and finished an April 1 5K in Oak Park in just 24:31.

But running isn’t this second-grader’s only passion. When he’s not playing kickball or basketball, the student is immersed in nature. He’s particularly fond of ocean life. So, when he learned about endangered sharks while attending a program at the , he immediately wanted to help. 

“He came home and said, ‘We need to save the sharks. Call Grandma and Grandpa, we need to get money,’” Greg Smith said.

He suggested that rather than simply asking for handouts, that Evan combine his enthusiasm for running with his desire to raise money.

“So, I ran 100 miles to save the sharks,” Evan said.

He logged those miles between Jan. 1 and April 1, collecting $600 along the way from sponsors who paid between 5 cents and 30 cents for each mile he completed. He earmarked the money for the Save Our Seas Foundation.

“His biggest donation was $30. He just went to a lot of people … but he’s the one that went out and got it,” Greg Smith said.

Because of the experience, Smith said, “he’s gotten so much more confidence than he had six months ago.”

Even when he’s not training for a race or trying to save the sharks, Evan can be spotted running around the community, doing his part to make it better.

“I’ll run one or two miles to pick up trash or find some golf balls,” he said.

Evan said he’s taken a break from running since completing his fundraiser on April 1. But that doesn’t mean he’s done for good. 

He said he’ll “definitely” plan future runs to support other important causes.

“It might be dolphins, turtles, maybe fish or seals. It might be tigers or big cats. Something that I really like,” he said.

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