R. C. Buckley Elementary School School Nurse Kelly Bell was looking for a running program for her third grade daughter.  The two had already run 5Ks together, and as a nurse and a runner herself, she wanted to offer Lansing girls a program to keep them healthy and build their confidence.  She had read about Girls On The Run, a ten week program that culminates in a 5K run.  It must have been kismet, because she found exactly what she was looking for.

"I come from sports people," she says.  "My dad was always a coach.  I run 5Ks with my daughter.  It's such an awesome feeling and I am so proud of her.  I just think it's such a cool thing to inspire young girls.  I thought this was an awesome program for my daughter and I wanted the other girls at school to feel it, too."

The nearest Girls on The Run program is in Syracuse.  Bell discovered it on an email thread through the Finger Lakes Runner's Club and contacted the Syracuse group leader.

Girls On The Run is a national program that annually serves more than 130,000 girls in over 200 cities across North America.  The program has attracted over 55,000 volunteers, including the three in Lansing: Alex McGregor, Leeann Sinclair and Bell.  They began their first ten-week session with 13 third and fourth graders in March, and have held two practices a week, rain or shine since then.  The program will culminate on June 17th when the girls complete Ithaca's Twilight 5K Run.

"I know they can do it," Bell says.  "I've seen other girls do it and my daughter's done it.  We don't expect them to do it in 20 minutes.  We just want the to finish, whether they're walking or skipping."

The girls arrive at the Lansing Community Center on a special bus after school.  They sit in a semi-circle to start a typical hour and a half session.  They have an after-school snack and talk about what they did last week, and what we need to improve on this week.  Then a quick team building game, a stretch and 25 to 40 minute workout, first walking to the Town ballfields and then running laps around them.  Three laps equals a mile, so they can monitor how far they have run and record their accomplishments.  At the end they process what they have done, stretch, sit down, and think about it.

They set goals for themselves on an 'identity card', including a lap goal that they set before the day's run.  They fill in the actual number of completed laps afterward, and so have a record of each session's goals and accomplishments.


They really do run rain or shine.  On the first day they ran three laps (one mile), 20 minutes in the rain.  Bell says she is already seeing progress, both in the girls' physical accomplishments, but also in their confidence.  She says girls who wouldn't speak up in a group now raise their hands and participate.

"Seeing some of the girls running that weren't running at all, that's amazing," says Bell.  "And they're happy about it and not being forced.  And seeing some of the girls being able to raise their hands and speak in front of a group and feeling comfortable."

Part of confidence building is that they, their parents and coaches routinely give 'awards'.  These are not physical awards, but more like a cheer, a quick little reminder that they're doing great.

The curriculums include team building, healthy foods, making good choices, expressing feelings in appropriate, positive ways and building the confidence to communicate in a positive way.

The national Girls On the Run organization offers curriculums for 3rd through 5th grades and 6th through 8th.  The current Lansing program is only for third and fourth grade girls.  Bell said that it was put together so quickly there was only time to offer one program, and the logistics of getting fifth graders from the Middle School onto the bus were difficult.  But she says she already plans to offer a curriculum for the older girls and repeat the one for the young ones.

Bell credits the elementary school teachers for inspiring girls -- some athletic and some not -- to join the program.  She says many of the teachers are also runners, and they serve as role models that led the girls to make their own decision to be part of the program.

"I would have to say most of them chose to be in the program on their own," Bell says.  "I think there was a lot of inspiration from the teachers.  The girls saw that their teachers were runners and they look up to them.  And they all try and are happy to be there."

Gamma Phi Beta Sorority is the exclusive National Panhellenic Conference Girls on the Run National Sponsor.  The Syracuse chapter is sponsoring a fund-raiser and plans to make uniforms for the girls for when they run the 5K.

Bell is having a blast working with the girls, the other coaches and the moms.  She says she has no doubt that all 13 girls will complete the 5K in June.

"I know they will," she says.  "They will finish.  Of course."

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