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By KRISTINA IODICE, THE GAZETTE
There’s a new running group in town looking for young girls. But they don’t have to race. They don’t even have to run. To join, they just need the desire to get healthy, improve their self esteem and make new friends.
The group is Girls on the Run of the Rockies, a non-profit that’s operated in Denver since 2005.
It wants to get young women, 8 through 14, in the Pikes Peak region moving — and learning — in its after-school program by this spring.
“Every girl can run,” said Marlene Kort, a coach who is recruiting girls for the program. “We want them to know that.”
Kort, 49, has been running since she was 10 years old, and running is key to her grown daughters’ confidence, she said.
And she said it’s important girls learn to be judged on more than just the appearances.
Volunteer coaches will teach physical fitness through a gradual exercise program. Along the way, girls learn about having a healthy body and mind, focusing on topics such as self-esteem, healthy body image and confidence.
“There’s no racing, no competition,” said Laura Morgan, who is coordinating the local running program.
“Running” is a flexible term. Girls can run, hop, skip, speed walk or even dance toward their goals. Each 10- to 12-week program ends with a 5K run/walk.
The program has been popular in Denver, where it has grown from 90 girls at four sites in 2005 to 1,000 girls at 80 sites. This year, it is expanding into Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Monument and Lake George. Organizers have a goal to reach about 100 sites and 1,200 girls each year.
Eight-year-old Hailey Johnson of Denver is in her first year.
“I love the fun and being with my friends,” she said. “I like being outside.”
Hailey said it’s something that she wants to keep doing.
The program costs up to $150 per girl, which covers a T-shirt, fees and the 5K run/walk at the end. Coaching is done entirely by female volunteers.
Girls are grouped by age, with third- through fifth-graders in one group, and sixth-through eighth-graders in the other. A group of eight to 20 girls are coached by two adults.
Morgan said there are two full scholarships or four partial scholarships for Colorado Springs sites. Some individual scholarships are available. A site is usually a school, but it can also be a community center. There will also be an indoor location for bad-weather days.
Morgan hopes to have the first five sites selected and set in December. She has three volunteer coaches lined up. Coach training is planned for February and every coach in the program has a complete background check and is CPR/first aid certified.
“Coaches are usually easier to recruit than sites,” she said.
Parents often volunteer to coach, but that is not a requirement.
Morgan, 29, has been running for about 10 years, and she first read about Girls on the Run about six years ago. When she moved to Colorado from South Carolina, she started working on establishing a local program.
Jo Ann Beine of Centennial has been running for about 20 years. She has coached girls in Highlands Ranch, Denver and Centennial since 2005. Beine said coaches don’t need to be good runners, or perfect role models.
“If you are comfortable with who you are then you can connect and share with a group of girls,” she said.
Beine said girls gain a lot from the program, which recognizes the challenges of being a girl and helps teach strategies or coping mechanisms so girls can positive choices or changes.
Girls on the Run of the Rockies is looking for help, for the local program and around the state. Individuals can donate online. Business can help by sponsoring a 5K event or adopting a school. For more information, contact program co-director Lisa Johnson at 1-720-530-1064.
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