This is the weekend of the New York City Half Marathon and a group of students from the Bronx will share the spotlight with some professional athletes. NY1's Erin Clarke filed the following report.

PS 159 in the Bronx is a very small school.

"We're a leased facility. We don't have a gymnasium,” said principal Luis Liz.

It's even difficult to schedule regular physical education.

When classes are held, they're held in the cafeteria, which serves as a multi-purpose room.

So it's no surprise that this school, with very few resources, didn't have sports. That was until a teacher who ran in high school and college formed a track team.

"You learn so many different life lessons through running. Goal setting and persevering, team work and comradery and all that. And I feel like it just, like running just impacted my life so much that I just wanted to pass it down to the students,” said coach Sally Bojorquez.

Now PS 159 students use the sidewalks as their fields, running mileage around the block of their school early in the morning.

The team is one of several that partner with the New York Road Runners.

The organization has a free “Young Runners” program designed to introduce kids in communities with a lack of sports facilities and programs to running.

"Schools like the one behind me, 159, take ownership of the program and practice two to three times a week or even five times a week depending on how they embrace the program and then they get invited to races,” said New York Road Runners German Martinez.

One of those races is the first-ever Times Square Kids Run this Sunday.

A thousand kids from the city, nine other states, Brazil, Mexico and Italy will run through the crossroads of the world alongside professional runners during the New York City Half Marathon.

A treat for these kids, some who've never left the Bronx.

"I'm very excited because I mean it's in Times Square and Times Square is really famous and I'm gonna be going running there,” said 11-year-old Evelyn Castro.

"It will be like thousands of people watching,” said Niquan Martin.

And there are still a couple hundred spots left for any child age seven to 18 to dash through Times Square with the PS 159 runners.

For more information, go to www.NYRR.org.