Girls on the Run
1415 West Highway 54, Suite 211
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 401-6307 |
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 Girls
on the Run (GOTR) is a life-changing character development program
for girls ages 8 to 12 that uses running to teach values and a sense
of self. The mission is to prepare and educate girls for a
lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The 24-lesson curriculum
is aimed at changing a girl’s unhealthy perception that how
she looks is more important than who she is. The program combines
training for a noncompetitive 1- or 3.1-mile running event with
uplifting workouts and a community service project.
Founded in 2000 by Mandy Beard, Girls on the Run
of the Triangle, Inc., is an Independent Council of Girls on the
Run International, which has a network of more than 140 locations
across the United States and Canada. GOTR-Triangle currently
serves more than 400 girls a year in Wake, Orange and Durham counties.
In 2002, Wendy Webster,a founding board member of
GOTR-Triangle and active member of the Junior League of Raleigh,
helped create the relationship that exists today between GOTR and
the League. After that first season when the League offered its
first GOTR placement option for coaches, the relationship soared!
Since 2002, an average of seven to nine League members
each year serve as assistant or head coaches during the fall and
spring seasons at the GOTR Wake County sites. In five years, that’s
more than 200 volunteer coaching hours, not to mention training,
preparation, snacks and race days!
 This
year, there are eight GOTR locations in Wake County. Each site
can serve a maximum of 14 girls per session, for a total of 280
girls. Cost to attend is $175 per girl, and scholarships are available. GOTR-Triangle has
received two Junior League Community Grants of $4,000 and the 2006
Legacy Award.
League members have also served as Running Buddies
and support staff for both the fall and spring 5K events. The end-of-season
5K is an important milestone for GOTR participants, so having League
members running with girls —encouraging them along the route
or cheering for them at the finish line —is priceless.
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