Girls on the Run Western Montana Forms New Partnership with Whitefish Marathon
Roughly 150 third- through fifth-grade girls from across the Flathead Valley will compete alongside other racers in the 5K distance on race day next month
By Lauren Frick
Those signed up to run the Whitefish Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K can expect to see a contingent of small but mighty racers alongside them as they line up at the starting stripe early on the morning of May 16.
With a new partnership between the marathon and Girls on the Run Western Montana, roughly 150 third- through fifth-grade girls from across a dozen schools in the Flathead Valley will lace up their running shoes to compete in the 5K event next month.
But watch out, as many of them won’t just be running for a participation medal at the end.
“I’m really competitive, so I want to get first,” said “Legendary” Lili Hinojosa, a fifth grader in her third year of the Girls on the Run program at Muldown Elementary in Whitefish.
Although it may be in the name, Girls on the Run is about “so much more” than running, said Becky Blyth, a Girls on the Run Western Montana board member and coach at Muldown Elementary.
“We try to get the message out that it is really an empowering movement for these girls in a stage when they’re really kind of finding themselves,” Blyth said. “Eight to 11 years old, there’s a lot of big changes happening in your life — emotionally, dealing with friendship conflicts, and things like that. So, what I love about the curriculum is that we’re working through all of those things, along with teaching them how to move their body.”
Founded in 1996, Girls on the Run International is a nonprofit that has served more than 2 million girls across North America through evidence-based programming focused on both running and life skills development for third through fifth graders. Girls on the Run Western Montana has served more than 1,200 girls since its founding in 2016.
The program features up to two “seasons” each year, which consists of two, hour-and-a-half practices over the course of 10-12 weeks that culminates in a 5K race for all of the girls at the end of the season.
The practices, however, aren’t exactly the track or cross country training regime that might immediately come to mind.
Nothing proved this more than a recent wintry April Thursday, when the Muldown Elementary Girls on the Run chapter gathered in a circle on the gym floor — all smiles — not to be deterred by the otherwise cold, gloomy day.
Reading from her Girls on the Run curriculum book, Blyth described a scenario where a friend got a good grade on an assignment, then proceeded to ask the girls a series of questions related to the day’s theme: empathy.
“How could we be a bold listener?” Blyth asked. “How could you put yourself in their shoes? How can you respond to your friend in a way that shows care?”
One by one, hands shot up as girls eagerly shared their responses, whether it be to give their friend all their attention or tell them how proud they are of them.
After the mental exercise, the otherwise quiet gym quickly filled with laughs, shrieks of joy, conversation, and top-40 pop hits as the girls began their running regime for the day.
This is the simple juxtaposition that is Girls on the Run, at least according to third-grader Aubrey Snipes, who is in her first year with the program.
“I think the point of this is to run around and make more friends,” Snipes said.
For many of the girls, friendship is at the heart of Girls on the Run, especially for fourth-grader Molly Waier, who joined the group only knowing one other girl.
“My favorite thing so far is getting to learn to run and also learning a bunch of things about friendship and how to be a good friend and what being a bad friend is,” Waier said. “I’ve made a lot of new friends.”
It’s these friendships that serve as a foundation for learning about conflict resolution, managing emotions and expressing empathy, ultimately building a strong community of young girls who empower one another, Blyth said.
“We form a little team and lots of good bonds are made because we talk a lot about a lot of serious things,” Blyth said. “We’re talking about things that maybe they’re not comfortable talking to their parents about. We open up the dialog and the conversation.”
Now with the partnership with the Whitefish Marathon, the girls can show off both their unbreakable bond and running chops — or their “happy pace” as they call it — on a much larger stage.
“When we approached the Whitefish Marathon and The Wave about the partnership, they were really excited about it,” Blyth said. “I think it’s going to be amazing for the girls to be able to have the fun and the hype around an official race because a lot of these girls have either never done a 5K ever in their life or have never been part of an official race format. To have that kind of energy in the beginning and the end is really, really going to be cool.”
The Whitefish Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K will take place on Saturday, May 16 at Depot Park in Whitefish. Click here to volunteer on race day. Those looking to volunteer on race day with Girls on the Run Western Montana, which includes helping run their finish line “Celebration Village,” can contact Becky Blyth at [email protected]. Click here for more information and general volunteer opportunities with Girls on the Run Western Montana.
