Get Out of the "Girl Box" - A Place to Get Girls Involved in Running Early!

Girls on the Run founded in Charlotte in 1996 by marathon runner and Ironman triathlete Molly Barker. It now has more than 140 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The program's target audience is girls 8 to 12 years old, but not because of their budding athleticism. Their focus is helping them establish themselves as a whole person, to discover why she is, her values, and to establish healthy lifestyles." Or, as the Girls on the Run mantra goes, "to help get them out of the girl box." The 8-to-12 audience is key. Girls on the Run hopes to get girls into a healthy frame of mind before they encounter the incivility of the mean girls of middle school. Different lessons are covered each week, from keeping promises and valuing what's really important to handling gossip and bullying to listening and cooperating. The above links are to their national chapters, the Manhattan (NYC) chapter can be reached here (looks like they have locations at public and private schools throughout Manhattan including a couple in Harlem -cool). The goals of Girls on the Run are to empower each girl to: *Develop a positive self-image* *Respect others and build teamwork**Assert herself in a healthy manner**Strive to achieve personal goals**Improve health and physical fitness**Have Fun!* - Check the video! If there's not a place near you, start one!