Wondergirls!

It was not a Marathon but like one for our WONDERGIRLS!  I have to shamelessly brag on a bunch of little girls so if you would indulge me please.....

Saturday, November 10, 2012, was the WonderGirl 5K sponsored by Girls On The Run.  This was the culminating event of a 13 week self esteem, positive body image program for girls in grades 3-5.

It was a cool overcast morning but  the girls and their families came out to run....for many their first 5K and for many the longest distance they have ever run. The coaches gathered our girls...all 25 of our third grade girls who began the program came out to run together. We pinned on their numbers and set off to decorate tiaras.  The rain threatened and we were all a bit nervous…but that only added to the excitement of the day!    We did our Girls on the run cheer and got ready to run. Soon it was time to line up and run....each girl walked to the start with their running buddy (an adult that runs with the girl for support), hand in hand.  We had many other runners supporting us and running with us…siblings, parents, grandparents, friends…..

The gun sounded and we were off....a little slowly at first as there were so many people and not a lot of space. As we ran through the neighborhood, the crowds cheered and honked horns in support of the girls. Everywhere words of encouragement could be heard....."You can do this!" "I am proud of you!" "You are going to finish..." We walked a bit and ran a bit …we got through the distance….

As soon as the finish line was in sight the girls finally realized that they would finish. We ran to the finish with the sounds of the crowd yelling and flashes going off as a multitude of parents and supporters took pictures and cheered! The girls…every one of them…crossed the finish line head held high smiling from ear to ear!

When we arrived back at our school gathering site, we met with all the other girls proudly wearing their medals! Parents were all sharing stories with one another so visibly proud of their little girls! The girls were beaming!  What a sight!!!  Shortly after,  it was time to part ways and head home.

The girls wore their shirts and medals to school on Monday and we coaches could not be prouder of them!! This was a life changing event for not only the girls but families and coaches as well.

We all started running at different times in our lives. We all run for different reasons. We all train for different events. Everyone had to start somewhere. Our hope and prayer is that this was the start of something good for all these girls and families.

These girls are not only SUPERSTARS but.... WONDERGIRLS!!