The Girls on the Run 5K is a celebration of the completion of a 10-week program during which girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections and encourage community service. Hundreds of girls from all corners of Western Massachusetts participate. Pictured is a scene from the 2023 spring 5K at Western New England University. This year’s 5K will take place at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Reminder Publishing file photo
Now in its 10th year as an organization, Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts is capping off another year of its programming on June 8, with its annual 5K Girls on the Run celebration, this time at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Girls on the Run Western Mass. is proudly celebrating its 10-year anniversary, marking a decade of empowerment, growth and positive impact in Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire and Franklin counties. Since its establishment in 2015, the program has flourished, touching the lives of over 12,650 girls in over 85 schools and community sites.
The 5K is the annual culminating event for the program and the highlight of the Girls on the Run season. The 5K is not just focused on the race, but the joyous celebration of the girl’s teamwork, personal growth and culmination of months of running and skill development. Participants of all abilities are welcomed and encouraged, fostering a sense of inclusion and accomplishment for everyone involved.
“We’re just super excited that we’ve reached so many kids and families and sites in all of Western Mass.,” said Alison Berman, council director of Girls on the Run Western Mass.
Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that uses fun running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in third to eighth grade. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections and encourage community service while they prepare for an end-of-season celebratory 5K.
“I like Girls on the Run because it makes you more confident when you’re talking to others and it helps you control your emotions when you’re feeling sad or anxious,” said one participant.
The run starts at 10:30 a.m., but the program and group warm up will begin at 10 a.m. Participants are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the activities starting at 9:30 a.m. Participation in the 5K event is open to the public and all proceeds from the event will benefit Girls on the Run Western Mass.
Registration costs $25 for adults and $10 for youth under 12, and includes a 5K shirt for the first 1,200 registered. Day of registration costs $30 and opens at 8:30 a.m. Girls on the Run Western Mass. is also looking for volunteers for this event.
For more information about the event, how to register, and volunteer opportunities, visit girlsontherunwesternma.org. Donations can also be made online.
This spring, Girls on the run had 1,150 participants at 75 sites around all four Western Mass. counties, with 320 volunteer coaches that bring the curriculum to life. The 5K will draw a large crowd of 3,500-plus people, bringing together all corners of the Girls on the Run participants, coaches, volunteers, family and friends that make up Western Mass.
“I think the biggest highlight for us is we do a group warm up before the 5K takes off,” said Molly Hoyt, program manager for Girls on the Run Western Mass. “It’s not really about the run, that’s just the vessel we use so that they can all experience some kind of challenge and use all the skills that they’re learning every season. The warm up, that’s where everybody’s together and it’s a really kind of amazing thing to be up on stage and seeing kids wearing the same shirt from every corner of Western Mass. come together. They’re all there for the same purpose, to cross that finish line and know that that is just the start for them. That is definitely the highlight for me every season.”
Berman added that the community that has assimilated from Girls on the Run has been profound as the program connects girls with their teachers in different settings as well as the community as a whole. Girls on the Run extends nationwide as well, so there is always a chance participants can run into others from around the country who have gone through the same program.
“Hearing teachers and principals, they’ve talked about seeing the kids using the lessons in the classroom, whether it’s helping a friend who is having a hard time or being a leader in the classroom in some way,” Berman said. “Principals have talked about how it helped with attendance, like kids who are doing the program tend to attend school more. It’s kind of this whole ripple effect more than just the actual lessons.”
Hoyt added, with the nature of the program, there are many girls who have been through multiple years and it helps give them a sense of ownership. It helps keep the programming running efficiently year after year.
“It does create a sense of connection for those kids immediately, which is awesome,” Hoyt said.
Girls on the Run lessons include more than just movement based as emotional wellbeing is also focused on.
“There are a couple lessons on emotions. So it’s actually giving kids skills like how to use I feel statements, or how to stop and take a breather if you’re feeling worried. They’re actually getting these actual skills that then can translate further. And doing the active piece, moving and learning it that way,” Berman added.
Of the coaches involved in Girls on the Run Western Mass., three quarters are teachers from the schools involved with the program. Berman said many teachers are often sharing how being a coach through the program is the highlight of their day.
“I think the schools see real value to it because we’re able to provide this social-emotional learning that they don’t always have time to do during the school day,” Berman said.
“The schools that have had it for multiple seasons have somewhat woven it into the culture of their school,” Hoyt said. “The teachers that coach, they definitely say that its helpful for them to coach, so they learn the language the girls are learning in practice and they really help bridge that gap between practice and school. And the girls look at them differently because they’ve seen them as their teacher and now coach, and someone that’s really encouraging them in different facets of their life, not just during the school day.”
Hoyt also noted the program serves as a lot of kids’ first entry point to a team activity structured outside of the classroom. She said it is important for students to have this experience, as they realize their peers have their backs and are cheering them on in desire of a shared goal.
“The 5K is like an extrapolation of that, in that a lot of them have never done anything like a 5K, or often we do them on college campuses, so many of them have not even been to one so many of them are getting that experience,” added Lisa Queenin, development and outreach manager.
For the last several years, 65% of all participants required financial aid in order to participate in Girls on the Run. In 2024, $145,000 was awarded in program scholarships. The Western Mass. group has pledged to continue serving every girls looking to participate in the program.
Those looking to support Girls on the Run Western Mass. in honor of its 10th anniversary can consider a one-time gift of $10 or more, a monthly gift of $10, or even a full $160 scholarship for a girl to participate in the program. To learn more about this, visit girlsontherunwesterma.org.
Reflecting on this 10-year milestone for the organization, Berman said she recalls in the early days of starting their work, speaking openly about the goal of making the group a household name. A decade in and she and her fellow colleagues feel they have accomplished just that, and are looking forward to continuing the work.
“Now it really is [a household name],” Berman said. “It’s part of creating that culture in this community about people feeling belonging and connection. And I think we do talk about the girls feeling that, but I think with our volunteer coaches — this season we have over 300 volunteer coaches — they’re volunteering their time. That’s just one season, and I feel like it has created this group of adults; also this really strong community. Whether they coach for one season, 10 seasons, 20 seasons, that community piece feels really important.”
