Girls on the Run 5K Event Draws 1,900 Runners and Walkers

SPRINGFIELD — More than 2,500 girls, spectators, volunteers, and community members gathered on June 3 for the Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts 5K event at Springfield College, the culminating moment of the Girls on the Run season.

“Girls on the Run is not just changing the girls’ lives, but it is impacting schools, families, and communities,” said Alison Berman, council director. “We hear from teachers that the girls are taking the lessons that they are learning and using them in schools. We see family members out at the 5K that have never walked a 5K but are inspired by their child. The girls are making a difference.”

Girls on the Run is a national, physical activity-based, positive youth-development program that uses fun running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in grades 3-8. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections, and encourage community service while they prepare for the end-of-season celebratory 5K event.

In Western Mass., more than 190 trained volunteer coaches facilitated the curriculum to 54 teams of girls this spring season, helping equip them with the physical and emotional skills necessary to carry them over the 5K finish line at Springfield College. There were 740 girls in the program this spring from 52 school sites.