NEW YORK (CBS 2) – More than 2,500 kids took parts in the New York Road Runners Club youth jamboree in Washington Heights on Saturday.

The city kids learned about the importance of staying fit and healthy in a free daylong event filled with track and field contests.

“It teaches them to stay disciplined, to stay on point with something and finish what they start,” Jackie Martinez, a mother of a participant, said.

Young athletes got the chance to try their legs in different sprints and relays as well as the long jump and shot put.

The New York Road Runners Club holds the youth jamboree four times a year. The next is May 15 on Randall’s Island.