Jim Dunlevy Since joining Girls on the Run, 10-year-old Kate Dunlevy, bottom right, has come out of her shell and has a growing collection of medals from 5K races.Kate Dunlevy giggles, in that cute, unabashed way of a 10-year-old, when you ask her why she likes to run. The fourth-grader from Charlotte, N.C., never considered herself to be very athletic, or even able to run, before something changed last year.
Her mom and dad, Jim Dunlevy and Amy Hilyard, signed her up for a local Girls on the Run chapter. The group, aimed at girls from third through eighth grades, uses running to empower and educate.
Amy HilyardKate Dunlevy's mother, Amy Hilyard, is now an assistant coach with her daughter's group. Kate's experience inspired Amy to begin running herself and recently completed her first half-marathon.Dunlevy's parents hoped the experience would bring their daughter out of her shell a little, with something fun in a positive environment. It might even help her discover a new sport. Dunlevy, who's a bit less reserved now, proudly said she has a growing collection of medals from 5K races hanging on the doorknobs of her room in her mom's and dad's houses. She also admits she's actually pretty good at running.
"I didn't know I could do this, but now I do. I can do a lot of things if I try and work hard," Dunlevy said. "I like that it's always fun, and everybody is so happy and encouraging. I learn a lot and it's a nice thing. They cheer and really tell you how good you did when you run. And when you finish a race, they give you a hug and say your name on the loudspeaker so everybody knows.
"I have learned a lot about my body because of my coaches and Miss Molly. I feel better about myself and how I look, and how I treat people that I know -- you have to respect other people and yourself, too. I guess I have learned a lot."
This metamorphosis is exactly what four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete and counselor/teacher Molly Barker hoped for when she founded Girls on the Run nearly 16 years ago in Charlotte. She wanted to help girls gain strength, knowledge and power through running, through being around their peers and through mentoring from caring coaches.
Girls on the Run has grown from 13 third-graders responding to a flier passed by Barker at Charlotte Country Day School, to a formal, nonprofit organization that worked with 108,000 third- through eighth-grade girls in 191 cities in North America last year. The structured program is simple: Small groups, from eight to 15 girls, gather twice a week to participate in games, conversation and running with trained adult coaches. There are 37,000 volunteer coaches, mostly women, working with the girls and organized by local chapters.
Each session lasts 12 weeks, culminating in the girls running in a 5K race. The race is special, with each girl being encouraged to do her best, and rewarded with face-painting, colorful hair glitter and sparkly necklaces along the way. And as Dunlevy likes to point out, there are medals, hugs and lots of celebration and smiles at the finish line. She ran a full race for the first time late last year, after getting through the other ones by walking and running.
Barker is often found at the finish line, eagerly wrapping up each girl in a hug.
The 5K is the crucible for the girls, showing them they can set a goal and reach it, and that hard work will be rewarded. Along the way, the girls learn teamwork; how to respect themselves and others; empowerment to make strong decisions based on their thoughts and morals; and ways to cultivate healthy relationships.
"Kate's running the full 5K is wonderful -- couldn't be more proud of what she accomplished," Jim Dunlevy said of his daughter. "And I see that Kate is learning things that I hope will serve her for the rest of her life. I know that Girls on the Run fights against the notion that girls have to fit into a certain mold. You be yourself.
"I want Kate to grow up, learn how to trust herself, be empowered, love herself and use all that strength inside of herself. She's learning and seeing that you don't have to fall into that trap, that perception, that as a woman you have to change yourself to fit into society, a relationship or what somebody else thinks. You be yourself."
Courtesy of Molly BarkerFour-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete Molly Barker, GOTR's founder, is often found at the finish line of a race dispensing hugs.Hilyard just finished her first stint as an assistant coach for her daughter Kate's group. The experience inspired her to start running. She completed her first half-marathon recently, with the tables turned -- her daughter was the one encouraging her to do her best.
"I think I have gotten as much out of this as Kate has," Hilyard said. "Seeing Kate learning things and being able to connect with so many wonderful girls is a real gift. They come from all different backgrounds: some with parents who are married, some divorced, some with siblings, some without, but they all find their common ground and how to respect each other. It's an important lesson in diversity."
Barker has a master's degree in social work and has worked as a children's counselor and teacher. The other side of her life was dedicated to being an athlete. It seemed natural to bring the two together to start Girls on the Run. She used running as a way to find herself as a teen, and realized there could be power there to help others. It's not about a particular time, distance or race -- it's about the journey of self-discovery.
Even Barker marvels at how far her concept has come, and how it has resonated with the 400,000 girls who have gone through her program across North America.
"I think, certainly, when I started it I did not have the expectations that this would happen," Barker said. "I do know that a year into it, when it was just myself coaching, I began to realize the impact -- it could be so much bigger."
Her first vision came in 1993, when she was on a run, questioning what she was really meant to do in her life. She wanted to be more of an influence, to do something to really help the girls she saw getting lost and confused in middle school.
The next epiphany came while Barker was on a run in late 1997, pushing her son in his jogging stroller while pregnant with her daughter. It's a theme that has gone through Girls on the Run, that having some time to yourself -- especially while running -- can lead to powerful discoveries of mind and soul.
"I remember it very clearly, I was on a run in the woods, and I just saw what it could be," Barker said. "It was there, this could be so much more for helping even more girls. I've had more than a few moments of clarity, so vivid like that, when I was running.
Courtesy of Caroline Saunders Many members of the first GOTR class continue to run as adults, and credit the organization with giving them inspiration in life."I obviously could not have thought it would grow like this, but I knew this could have a big impact on girls, and that's what I wanted to do in my heart."
Barker is starting to see Girls on the Run develop a legacy, as the girls from her first class are now women in their mid-20s. Caroline Saunders and Sarah Schweppe, now grown and starting their careers, grew close because of the program. They're also still runners, and have become Girls on the Run coaches. They keep in touch with Barker, calling her a mentor and big influence on their childhoods.
"I just think back, when we were probably a group of 13 crazy, screaming girls, and Molly immediately connected with us and we just bonded," said Schweppe, 23, who works in Bank of America's corporate audit department. "What we learned in Girls on the Run, and especially from Molly, was just so good, so positive. I am so excited to see what it has become, and getting to come back and coach is just the best."
Saunders, 24, is a first-grade teacher in Durham, N.C., and was greatly influenced in her career path by Barker and the impact of Girls on the Run.
"I do remember a feeling that I had when I was there," Schweppe said via email. "I remember feeling really alive and excited about life. Maybe it was because I always had a lot of fun with my friends or that I got to run around and play after a long day of school, but I remember leaving practice feeling like I could do anything.
"My times at GOTR are some of my first memories of running. I have always enjoyed running and am grateful that GOTR introduced me to one of my life passions at such an early age."
