From left, Bennett Stammeyer, 6, Nevaeh Hogan, 6, and Natalie Caroll, 6, were part of the 300-student-strong marathon club at Langston Hughes Elementary School in Lawrence, shown in this file photo from October 2013.

As soon as temperatures get in the 30s they’ll be out there: students running the blocks around their schools. They’re all notching miles in their own personal marathon, and soon keeping track of their goals will be easier.

Once the Lawrence school district’s marathon clubs get started again — likely toward the end of February — volunteers won’t have to note the distance with tallies on paper or mark runners’ hands as they pass by.

Instead, club volunteers will be able to electronically track students’ progress toward a marathon (about 26 miles). The district received a grant to purchase an electronic system, and officials said it will simplify the work of volunteers.

“It does all of that for you so it’s a nice way to help manage and keep track,” said Denise Johnson, the district’s curriculum coordinator for health and wellness. “Everybody is doing it manually, so it’s a lot quicker.”

In November, LiveWell Lawrence awarded the school district $15,000 to purchase a bar code scanning and tracking system for its 18 marathon clubs, held at the district’s elementary and middle schools. The clubs meet before or after school and on early-release Wednesdays.

The new tracking system, Stride Track, gives each student a wristband that measures the runner’s distance, and then that data is electronically loaded into spreadsheets that volunteers and students can use to monitor progress, Johnson said.

But Johnson said the goal of the club isn’t just running. At the middle school level, some clubs have the same concept but are called walk and talk clubs. At either level, Johnson said there will be kids who come to run and others who walk with their friends or family members.

“Some kids would get out there and be very goal-oriented, wanting to run,” she said. “Some just want to be out there with their friends. It has a social feel to it as well as a sense of accomplishment.”

The grant is also driving an effort to communicate better among all the clubs, Johnson said. Meetings will be held a couple times per year so volunteers can share ideas or coordinate T-shirt orders or other prizes for students when they complete a marathon. As clubs get better established, they’ll need more people, Johnson said.

“What we need is people volunteering,” she said. “It really could be a really fun neighborhood thing.”

Brandy Brandt is a parent volunteer at the Hillcrest Elementary School Marathon Club. Volunteers can be parents or just live in the neighborhood near schools, and duties include checking kids in and out or working as a course monitor. The monitors walk the route or stand at turns and crossings, but Brandt said they offer encouragement as well as ensure students’ safety.

“A lot of the time, if I’m the one out there doing that I high-five the kids,” she said. “One lady plays some music and kind of dances around, but some just come out and walk along with the kids.”

A meeting for current volunteers and those interested in volunteering will be scheduled early next month. The date of the meeting will be posted on the district’s Marathon Clubs page, which also lists contact information for each school’s club for those who would like to get involved.