Are you looking for a great family outing? Why not try a charity fun run? They make great family activities that can get the kids physically active and involved in the community. In this episode of Quality Time, Daddy Clay talks about some of the races he and his family have participated in. Lace up your sneakers, grab a jogging stroller, and head out to a "Race For the Cure" or any other road race for some family fun. DadLabs ep 503 is brought to you by BabyBjorn.

DADDY CLAY: It’s one of the oldest parenting tricks in the book: want a peaceful evening? Take the kids outside and run their little butts off. But here’s a suggestion for you. Do it for charity.

This weeks episode of Quality Time is brought to you by BabyBjorn. Know why the Swedes are such a fit people? Because from infancy, they use their own movement to create the motion in this babysitter balance. Keeps them active. BabyBjorn.

So this week here’s what you want to do. Sign you and your kids up for a charity fun run. I have to say that I’ve done this just a couple of times in the last year or so, and it has been a great family activity every single time.

Let’s see, it gets you out of the house, encourages physical activity, engages the kids in their community, and gets them thinking about giving back. What’s not to like.

Hard to get signed up? Not really. It’s mostly just a matter of keeping your ears open. You hear these things advertised on the radio all the time. If that’s not getting it done, is there a good running gear store in your area. In Austin, it’s a place called RunTex. Most of these specialty stores will maintain an online calendar of events that will have most of the runs in your area. Or Google Race for the Cure and see if there is a breast cancer prevention run in your hood.

What you are shopping for is a 1K. If you are expecting kids under 12 to finish the race under their own power. 5K s are great stroller races, if you’ve got your tricked out BOB and a kid under 4 or 5.

But starting at about age 4 or 5, your kid can run (or walk) a 1 K, and have a blast doing it.

Race day is hilarious. The kids get geared up, putting on the shoes, even talking a little smack. They wear race T-shirts from previous runs. And they love pinning the number on their chest.

When it comes time to run, be ready. Last year I ran with my six year old daughter, and she kicked my ass. Some are born to run. I’m built for beer. I worried that she wasn’t going to be able to run almost a mile, then I realized I was counting on it.

Really the run is almost before you know it, but most of these events are family friendly and will feature activities that can easily keep everybody busy for an hour or two post-race.

This year was a little different for me. I’ve been participating in the FitFatFit Dad challenge, and as a culmination, I decided to participate in my first athletic competition in 20 years and run a 10K. A family friend took the kids on the 1K, so we went together, did the warm-up together. My oldest is all tween right now, and I am quickly becoming that guy in the poncho and knee socks on the sidelines of his soccer games that he rolls his eyes at.

Anyway, I’m in the starting gate, getting ready, hoping they’ve got somebody on staff that knows CPR, when Bubba rushes over and gives me a big hug. Did my beaten down stock some good.

Thanks to our sponsors, BabyBjorn. If you have fun run stories or tips, join us on DadLabs.com. We’ll see you there.