By Felicia D. McDaniel, Globe Sports Editor

Saturday was the perfect day to go outdoors and get some exercise. It was also the perfect day for Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and the Bay Area chapter of 100 Black Men to bring attention to an issue of steadily climbing national concern: childhood obesity.

    Hosted with Oakland Parks and Recreation, the Ronald V. Dellums Youth Track Meet at Laney College brought out a large crowd of young competitors and parents.
    Physical education is now a foreign language in schools, and children are suffering from a lack of programs that require physical activity.

    “The prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled for adolescents over the last 20 years,” said Dr. Mark Alexander, a member of 100 Black Men and a promoter for the track meet.
    Structured youth programs help young men and women stay out of trouble and later encourages them to reach out and become mentors. Dellums, who was an active member of sports programs while growing up in Oakland, said that you never know whose life you’re changing when you’re working with youth.
   “There was a young man who wasn’t as physically gifted as the others,” Dellums recalled from his time working in administration at a youth sports center. “Years later, this young man came up to me and told me how I made a difference in his life.”
    The impact that he had on this young man, now working for the Oakland Police Department, still brings tears to his eyes.
    It is no secret that some of the best athletes in the world have come out of the city of Oakland, like Rickey Henderson, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Bill Russell.
    Providing a track meet of this magnitude helps develop discipline and teaches children life lesson.

   “I like running because it helps me stay fast,” said 9-yearold LaVonte Thompson, a student at Lafayette Elementary School in Oakland who competed in the 50-meter and standing long jump races. “My coach taught me that if I move my arms really fast it helps me run faster.”
    Andrea Muhammed got her daughter Sarah involved in running through 100 Black Women, of which she is a member. “I was looking for something to get her involved in, so I they put me in contact with Dr. Alexander.”
    Muhammed said that running has boosted her daughter’s self-esteem and confidence. “It has been the best thing for her, and it’s been such a positive experience. … She’s so glad that there is something that she can be a part of. I think that running is the best thing I have ever done for her. … She now corrects us on how to eat right — it’s driving us crazy.”
    Running for nearly four months as a member of the Hoover Hawks for Spearit WRX Alternative School, Sarah, who is 6, placed second in the 50-yard dash on Saturday. She has learned how to be a team player and the importance of taking care of her body.
    “I just wish there were [more] people out there who knew about these type of programs and their importance,” said Muhammed, “This is such a good program for us. … Being involved in running has allowed Sarah and others to build their minds, body and spirit.”
    When asked what she liked about running, Sarah replied with a smile, “I like everything about it. I just can’t think of one thing.”