Girls on the Run 5K builds confidence, fitness for life for Parkwood team

By Kaylan Lovrovich, UW News Lab

Seward Park was alive with eager and energetic elementary school girls last Saturday morning. Girls on the Run (GOTR) participants had been preparing for weeks for the 5K race they were about to run.

GOTR of Puget Sound is a nonprofit volunteer group that combines training for a 5K with lessons that inspire girls to become independent thinkers, enhance their problem solving skills, and make healthy decisions.

“I like the philosophy of GOTR; it’s about empowering girls and building self esteem, having positive energy, teaching them how to resist cliques, avoid bullying – just how to feel good about themselves,” said Khue Tran, a GOTR coach at Parkwood Elementary in Shoreline.

The girls met twice a week for 10 weeks before the race at their local elementary schools around the Seattle area. Each group of eight to 15 girls worked with a certified coach, like Tran, who used a 20-lesson curriculum that is presented in three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork, and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large. 

“Being a mentor is really gratifying, I just like to see the enthusiasm they have,” Tran said.

On the morning of the run, participants began with a large group warm-up. They also had the option of getting their hair decorated or face painted before the race.

Julia Severence was one of the volunteers at the “Happy Hair” station. 

“You could just tell that they felt good about themselves, they felt proud that they were doing this,” Severence said. “Seeing them come back from the run, they were so proud of themselves and felt so accomplished, and it’s a really good thing to see in young girls.”

At 10am, the girls took their places behind the starting line. They each had a “running buddy” to run the race alongside them. Running buddies are volunteers who are paired up with participants to motivate them and provide moral support.

Carmen Hudson has been volunteering with GOTR for five years and was Helena Howland’s running buddy, a 10-year-old from Loyal Heights Elementary in Seattle.

“Girls who never thought they would be able to run a 5K, you can even just watch them and the looks on their faces are just priceless, they’re like ‘I did it!’ They really surprise themselves,” Hudson said.

The girls are encouraged to complete the 5K at their own pace, whether that is running, walking, or even skipping. The goal is to encourage lifelong health and fitness and build confidence through accomplishment.

The girls were greeted at the finish line with a chorus of cheers and applause, and their coaches put medals around their necks as they ran by.

Sponsors such as QFC provided free snacks for runners after the race. There was also a dance party with a stage for the girls and a DJ playing upbeat tunes.

GOTR has expanded greatly since its establishment in 1996. Girls on the Run of Puget Sound is an independent council of Girls on the Run International, which has a network of over 200 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Tran said she hopes the organization will continue to expand, because it is a great way to build strong and independent women at such an early age.

“They just have fun, but they’re also learning something while they’re doing it,” Tran said. “And that’s the best way to learn – they don’t realize that they’re learning something that’s going to affect them for the rest of their lives.”

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KAYLAN LOVROVICH is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.