Su Zir -
My son said his feet hurt so the next day the teacher made him do the 1/4 mile again and, again, he did it in exactly 20 minutes. The teacher found this so amazing because difficult child didn't have a watch or a cell phone and there was no clock since they were outside that he called H to tell him about it. Since difficult child said his feet hurt, I took him to the doctor and she said he had flat feet and recommended New Balance shoes, which he's worn ever since. He passed gym because he participated in all other activities and aced all of the tests.
In HS, he took outdoor skills gym where he still had to run the mile, but his epic failure at that was balanced out by the fact that his scouting experiences made him a great asset to the class. Once he got the new sneakers, he tried to run, but couldn't. He is 19 now and plays basketball, soccer and ultimate Frisbee with his friends. He walks miles at a time, but will never run.
My H used to run 10k's and bike 50 miles at a time. I can't run and have never been able to, even when I weighed 100 pounds. My body just can't form the motions of running and neither can my son. I also can't ride a bike, though my son is good at that. In HS, I mastered the 30 day period in my 200 student gym class. Each week, I would approach a different teacher (there were 5) and tell her I had my period. In those days, they didn't make you change if you were menstruating. I did try to participate several times. In 9th grade, we did gymnastics. My teacher thought everyone should be Olga Korbut, that year's Olympic sensation. A very heavy girl was in front of me on the line for the even bars. She literally became wedged in and they cracked her shoulder trying to extract her. After she was removed, the teacher looked at me and said "Next!" I fainted. In 10th grade, I tried volleyball. At the net, my glasses were smashed into my face. In 11th grade, the same thing happened playing basketball. When I was a senior, someone tripped over me and broke my foot. I guess they couldn't break my glasses that year, because I'd just gotten contacts a week earlier. The only good thing about that was that I didn't have to do gym the rest of my senior year. I believe in fitness but gym class is the 12th circle of heck, as far as I'm concerned.
Even though I wasn't a top student in math (except on the standardized tests), I never felt as humiliated as I did in gym class. My music teacher told me to memorize the songs and mouth the words in order to pass, my art teacher promised me a minimum of 85 if I cleaned the classroom every day and at year's end, I got an 85. Those experiences were not anywhere as humiliating as being in gym class. At least in those days, it was gender-segregated. I would probably have killed myself if I had to do gym class with boys in it.
Believe me, I understand the need for fitness. I became obese when I passed 40 and am trying to be more physically active. I walk more and dance around my room, but I will NEVER run and I fail to understand why running is something that should be graded. I encourage my kids to be active. Only my daughter runs, none of the boys enjoys it at all.
Sorry for the vent but PE and organized sports are something I just despise.