Girls on the Run

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Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a program for pre-teen girls that combines running with serious girl talk. Participants engage in role playing, discussion, volunteer projects and of course, practice on the track.

Girls on the Run is a program for pre-teen girls that combines running with lessons encouraging good decision-making. Here, Makenzie Henkle (far right), age 10, leads the pack as they run at Blackwell Elementary School in Cobb County.

Jasmine Walker (center) works with her red team in a group game called "All Tangled Up" during a Girls on the Run meeting at Blackwell Elementary. The program has dramatically expanded since its 2000 debut in metro Atlanta, and now has some 600 pre-teen girls participating in 42 area schools. Another 500 girls are expected to participate in the spring program.

The red team joins hands in the "All Tangled Up" group game. The program is targeted at pre-teen girls because "they are still listening to adults but they are making that switch to looking to peers for a sense of who they are," according to Sue Payne, the program's metro Atlanta executive director.

Jasmine Walker answers role-playing questions during a Girls on the Run meeting at Blackwell Elementary. Before hitting the track, each weekly group meeting begins with peer discussions about thorny scenarios the girls may face, such as confronting gossip or cheating.

Nia Crawford, age 9, pours water on her face to cool down between laps at Blackwell Elementary. Girls on the Run was first created 12 years ago in Charlotte by Molly Barker, a former Ironman triathlete. The program culminates on Nov. 16 with the girls running in a 5K race at the Arizona Avenue Youth Soccer Complex.

Ansley Hames, age 9, runs with her group at Blackwell Elementary. Participating girls also are involved in volunteer projects, including school cleanups. The program fees are $160, but scholarships are available.

Girls on the Run gives pre-teen girls a chance to excel and learn as a team, as well as nurture girls' individual identities before the social pressures of teenage life encroach.

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Girls on the Run is a program for pre-teen girls that combines running with lessons encouraging good decision-making. Here, Makenzie Henkle (far right), age 10, leads the pack as they run at Blackwell Elementary School in Cobb County.

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