POLSON  —  Cherry Valley Elementary students gathered Friday morning at the Polson High School Football Field in hopes of breaking two Guinness World Records titles: most people to run 100 meters in 24 hours and the longest chain of shoes. (They will be recycled into athletic surfaces.) The event was organized by the Polson High School Leadership Course to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage students to do something good for the environment.

 Polson junior Aja Starkey led the event and said that the Leadership Course students  wanted to involve the community and get kids excited about being healthy. Starkey said that when the class heard of National Geographic’s  Run for the Planet initiative, they wanted to join in to help break the record.

 To beat the record more than 5,000 people needed to run 100 meters from noon. on Oct. 26, till noon. on Oct. 27. For the second record, more  than 25,000 shoes need to be collected and sent to National Geographic Society headquarters by Nov. 9.

 According to the National Geographic site, the total number of runners at the end of the 24 hours was 227,750  worldwide.