By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer    
    When Charlie Keaten was 13 years old, he brought a firearm to school and as a result he has spent the last five and a half years of his life on probation. Two weeks ago, however, Keaten came within seven seconds of beating the world record during a 400-meter race.
    On Aug. 4, Keaten plans to be part of a group of male residents from the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland to run among the international group of elite runners competing in the tenth annual TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K, commencing at Cape Elizabeth’s Crescent Beach and ending at Portland Head Light.
    The Long Creek Track Club is the brainchild of the center’s chaplain, Tim Higgins, who for more than a year has been leading residents in a half hour run at lunchtime.
    “Getting kids off ground is a big deal in and of itself,” said Higgins of the upcoming race. Residents must maintain good behavior and undergo a risk assessment before they can leave the premises.
    “We make a decision-are they a flight risk, are they trustworthy?” said Higgins.
    As the young men, most between the ages of 16 and 18, take in some fresh air and exercise they also have the opportunity to talk with adult volunteers who are serving as running mentors. Last January, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recruited volunteers from the greater Portland area to participate in a new program, Up and Running ME. The program is modeled after Students Run LA, a California-based program that matches at-risk youth with adult mentors as they prepare for the City of Los Angeles Marathon.
    “It’s truly about completing, not competing,” said Karen Lenzen, Criminal Justice Manger with NAMI. “I came on board in January and truly at the first meeting there was an abundance of mentors–there was just such an outpouring of people who are typically running the Beach to Beacon anyway.”
    Diane Dusini and Edie Dubord, a lawyer and social worker respectively, are among a group of eight regular volunteers who frequently attend the daily on-site training sessions and weekly 5K runs along Portland’s Back Cove.
    Dusini and Dubord recalled the winter training sessions in the gym when residents, without any proper running gear, ran in slippers and basketball shoes with no shoelaces. Dusini took charge of fundraising, asking other area lawyers for support and raised enough money for race registration, gear, water bottles and occasional Gatorade. Olympia Sports also boosted the program by donating sneakers, shirts and shorts. With eight new residents joining the group, however, Dusini said there is no money left for new gear.
    Dusini said residents must participate in three sessions per week for three weeks before they are eligible for sports gear so many residents run in T-shirts and khaki pants. Each runner must demonstrate their commitment to the program and sign a contract before they can receive the gear. If they break that commitment, they have to return the gear.  
    Last Friday, Dusini, Dubord and Higgins led a group of 10 residents outside to the gravel track. Just getting outside is a 20 to 30 minute process, Higgins said.
    “You have to recruit,” said Higgins, as he tried to encourage residents to go outside. Attendance varies every day as some residents may be prohibited due to unit restrictions or others may be on an off-grounds trip while others may not feel like running.            
    Seventeen year old Justin Kennie said when he first started running he was just looking for an opportunity to get out of his unit.
    “Now I’m really serious about it,” he said. Kennie, who ran track in school, said he placed third in a 5K run during a recent field day at the center. “I’ve found a hobby I enjoy. I plan to run when I’m out.”
    Before entering Long Creek, Kennie said he “partied too much and drank a lot.” Looking ahead, he plans to go to college to study automotive technology. He also said he will continue to run with the mentors after he leaves the center.
    “They motivate us,” he said of the mentors. “We have personal talks with them-they’re support.”
    Dubord said the program has had a major impact on Kennie. Because of peer pressure, mostly gang related, Kennie was placed in the high-risk unit for three weeks. Dubord said the mentors advocated for Kennie to come back to the program, stressing that it wasn’t a reward, but “an intervention for [his] behavioral health.”
    “Part of my work with them is to teach them to advocate for themselves,” she said. “I knew the easy part was the physical part.”
    Dubord said the greatest reward of the program has been seeing their self-esteem grow as running offers them goals to strive for.
    Higgins said he has witnessed within the residents significant changes in attitudes and increased dedication to their programs within the building.
     “They see themselves as being successful at something,” he said. “[They’re] less angry, less stressed out, and have less anxiety in their lives because they’re burning it up on the track.”  
     When the Long Creek Track Club crosses the finish line next week, the moment will be bittersweet, as Higgins will be leaving Long Creek.
    He has faith, however, that with the mentors, the program will continue to thrive.
    “They’re in it, I believe, for the long haul,” he said.
    Dusini echoed Higgins’ belief that the program will continue.
    “It will be hard to fill his shoes,” she said. With the support from Long Creek administration, however, she said the program will keep going, hopefully competing in other events such as the Maine Marathon.
    Long Creek Superintendent Rodney Bouffard was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
    Keaten, who is scheduled to leave Long Creek today, plans to get his G.E.D and attend college. He is interested in the University of Southern Maine’s business management program.
     “They got me back on track with running,” he said of Higgins and the program mentors. “Now they’re not going to let me go even when I leave.”
    Individuals interested in making a donation to the Long Creek Track Club may contact Diane Dusini at ddusini@mittelasen.com.