Girls on the Run plans virtual 5K as ‘a way to stay connected’
After a Maryland girls empowerment organization was forced to cancel its season because of the coronavirus pandemic, it took steps to switch over to a digital format.
Girls on the Run is a national nonprofit that uses running to help empower girls in grades three through eight and uses running to help teach them about accomplishing their goals. It operates as an after-school program that runs over 10 weeks to teach girls social and emotional skills. The local affiliate Girls on the Run of Central Maryland, which serves Howard and Carroll counties, planned to hold its spring kickoff with a 5K in March, but had to cancel because gatherings of 10 or more people had been banned at that point, as part of Maryland’s steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
So instead, the organization decided to try and make up for it with a “virtual” 5K this month.
As part of the virtual version, the organization’s 5K has a entry fee of $15, which will be discounted for anyone that was registered for their spring season, and allows participants to choose their form of physical activity if they don’t want to run.
“You decide where you want to run, and if you don’t want to run, you don’t have to, you can pick another goal,” said Jessamine Duvall, Girls on the Run of Central Maryland executive director. “We have some physical activity cards that we can share with you to complete, you could set really any goal you want. On the weekend of May 30 and 31, you’re going to set your mind and accomplish that goal, whether it’s running a mile or walking the 5K or completing the physical activity card.”
As part of its digital efforts, the organization has also developed Girls on the Run at Home, which provides registered families with on-demand video lessons twice weekly that girls can complete independently or with their families. Registered families received the lessons even if they were given a refund for the canceled season, according to a news release.
Participants will share their experiences either on Facebook or Instagram, and will receive a medal and a Girls on the Run 5K T-shirt in the mail. They will also receive a certificate to print out at home. For those who want to train for the 5K, the organization will also send participants a training guide.
The $15 entry fee covers the cost of the postage for the medals and the T-shirts, according to Duvall.
“That’s why we’re keeping it low because you’re seeing more and more of these virtual 5Ks now that all the races have been canceled,” Duvall said.
“They’re charging a typical 5K cost of $25, $30, whatever it is, but we made ours really cheap with the goal of just offering an activity for people to do, something to look forward to, something to train for and it’s not really a moneymaker for us it’s just a way to stay connected.”
Girls on the Run of Central Maryland also is presenting a “SHEro” series to celebrate local women making a difference within the communities of Howard and Carroll counties.
In celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary — according to its website, its program started in spring 2010 — Girls on the Run has planned to compile a series of articles to showcase local “SHEroes.” According to a news release from the organization, a SHEro is either a “female-identified person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or notable qualities or a woman or man who supports women’s rights and respects women’s issues.”
“There’s not really a nomination process.
We have reached out to our coaches and some of our families to say, ‘Hey who do you know that’s a real SHEro’ who we could speak to?’ ” Duvall said. “But the people that we have focused on so far are just basically people that we know of in the community who are doing great things that you don’t necessarily hear about.”
The series, which started in March, will continue through the rest of the year, with profiles being posted about once a month.
Duvall is hoping for the series to not only spread positivity, but also representation for younger girls.
“We’re just trying to highlight women who are doing extraordinary things locally,”
Duvall said. “We all know who [Supreme Court Justice] Ruth Bader Ginsburg is, we all know who the women are on national and international stages who are doing amazing things, but who are the people in your community who are doing things that you might not hear about but they’re making a difference in the community?”
Girls on the Run is a national nonprofit that uses running to help empower girls in grades three through eight and uses running to help teach them about accomplishing their goals. It operates as an after-school program that runs over 10 weeks to teach girls social and emotional skills. The local affiliate Girls on the Run of Central Maryland, which serves Howard and Carroll counties, planned to hold its spring kickoff with a 5K in March, but had to cancel because gatherings of 10 or more people had been banned at that point, as part of Maryland’s steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
So instead, the organization decided to try and make up for it with a “virtual” 5K this month.
As part of the virtual version, the organization’s 5K has a entry fee of $15, which will be discounted for anyone that was registered for their spring season, and allows participants to choose their form of physical activity if they don’t want to run.
“You decide where you want to run, and if you don’t want to run, you don’t have to, you can pick another goal,” said Jessamine Duvall, Girls on the Run of Central Maryland executive director. “We have some physical activity cards that we can share with you to complete, you could set really any goal you want. On the weekend of May 30 and 31, you’re going to set your mind and accomplish that goal, whether it’s running a mile or walking the 5K or completing the physical activity card.”
As part of its digital efforts, the organization has also developed Girls on the Run at Home, which provides registered families with on-demand video lessons twice weekly that girls can complete independently or with their families. Registered families received the lessons even if they were given a refund for the canceled season, according to a news release.
Participants will share their experiences either on Facebook or Instagram, and will receive a medal and a Girls on the Run 5K T-shirt in the mail. They will also receive a certificate to print out at home. For those who want to train for the 5K, the organization will also send participants a training guide.
The $15 entry fee covers the cost of the postage for the medals and the T-shirts, according to Duvall.
“That’s why we’re keeping it low because you’re seeing more and more of these virtual 5Ks now that all the races have been canceled,” Duvall said.
“They’re charging a typical 5K cost of $25, $30, whatever it is, but we made ours really cheap with the goal of just offering an activity for people to do, something to look forward to, something to train for and it’s not really a moneymaker for us it’s just a way to stay connected.”
Girls on the Run of Central Maryland also is presenting a “SHEro” series to celebrate local women making a difference within the communities of Howard and Carroll counties.
In celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary — according to its website, its program started in spring 2010 — Girls on the Run has planned to compile a series of articles to showcase local “SHEroes.” According to a news release from the organization, a SHEro is either a “female-identified person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or notable qualities or a woman or man who supports women’s rights and respects women’s issues.”
“There’s not really a nomination process.
We have reached out to our coaches and some of our families to say, ‘Hey who do you know that’s a real SHEro’ who we could speak to?’ ” Duvall said. “But the people that we have focused on so far are just basically people that we know of in the community who are doing great things that you don’t necessarily hear about.”
The series, which started in March, will continue through the rest of the year, with profiles being posted about once a month.
Duvall is hoping for the series to not only spread positivity, but also representation for younger girls.
“We’re just trying to highlight women who are doing extraordinary things locally,”
Duvall said. “We all know who [Supreme Court Justice] Ruth Bader Ginsburg is, we all know who the women are on national and international stages who are doing amazing things, but who are the people in your community who are doing things that you might not hear about but they’re making a difference in the community?”
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