IN THE CLASSROOM:

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday they ran. On Saturday mornings they ran. Sometimes a mile, sometimes much more, and by the time the OC Marathon started Sunday, many had logged more than 30 miles worth of training.

None of the runners were over 12.

Eastbluff Elementary School students participated in “Fast Feet,” a running group at the school that trains kids for the marathon. Since October more than 190 students had trained for Sunday, aiming to accumulate 25.2 miles worth of running by Sunday morning. At the end of Sunday’s gray, drizzly 1-mile run, 120 students had reached the full marathon mark of 26.2 miles.

“Fast Feet” trainer and Eastbluff Elementary parent Diane Daruty said while the medal they earn may bring the kids on board, running’s benefits keep them going.

“It’s not just running and skills. It’s passion and discipline,” Daruty said. “If you hold yourself to a goal, you can do it. To me its about the run, but also what you can do with discipline.”

On a crisp, Friday morning, dozens of kids from kindergarten to fifth grade were running down that necessary 25.2 miles before the final run two days later. Some only had a mile more to go, others had a long weekend ahead of them. They had all come a long way from their initial training day.

“The first time I ran a mile it was really hard because I had never done it before,” said fifth-grader Sydney McKeown. “People want you to finish so you can’t just stop. I like the feeling that people are cheering you on.”

Fourth-grader Brenden Hueston thinks he may have found a new hobby.

“It’s just fun, it gives me something to do...if you’re bored you can just go and run with a friend,” he said. “When I run I’m focusing on trying my hardest. I like to run a middle-sprint pace. I motivate myself by trying to beat other people.”

The kids enjoy the running and Daruty keeps precise records to ensure they earn their medals. More than a dozen were well ahead, with up to 40 miles logged since October. They’re training for a 5K run in March.

Fourth-grader Briarly Beauchamp runs trails at the Back Bay with other students preparing for the March race.

“I think ‘I can do it, I can do it,’” she said. “I feel proud of myself when I don’t stop and I don’t quit.”

Students will receive their marathon medals Jan. 15 in an 8:40 a.m. ceremony at Eastbluff Elementary School. On hand will be Olympian and 2,000-meter U.S. record holder Steve Scott.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.