Thousands of local youth and their supporters prepared for action in Pentagon City yesterday (Sunday) in one of two Girls on the Run 5Ks in Northern Virginia this weekend.
“Today is your day to shine,” said Caroline Woods, executive director of Girls on the Run Northern Virginia, as participants lined up near the starting line on S. Joyce Street, adjacent to RiverHouse.
Groups of runners were launched in three-minute increments, part of a celebration to mark completion of the organization’s springtime programming at schools and community centers across the region. The event attracted around 3,000 attendees.
Public and private schools from Arlington, Fairfax County, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church were among those fielding teams. A day before, other schools had taken part during a similar 5K at Jiffy Lube Live.
Many students were accompanied by “buddy runners” — parents and coaches on hand to encourage and look over the participants.
Beginning at Grace Murray Hopper Memorial Park, the runners turned left on Army Navy Drive to a turnaround at 23rd Street S., then retraced the route back to the start/finish line.
“You will all make it to the finish, 100% guaranteed,” said María José Ovalle, the event’s emcee, as the first groups began lining up.
Most of the participants seemed happy just to be competing. But some spent the minutes before starting the race in setting their watches to mark their times.
Given the staggered start times, it was less than 15 minutes between the last group beginning the run and the first finishers completing the 3.1-mile loop. In the interim, emcee Ovalle helped those watching from the sidelines get ready.
“We’ve got a job to do,” she said. “Silence is unacceptable. We cheer on every single person until the last person comes through.”
Open to students in 3rd through 5th grades, Girls on the Run uses volunteer coaches — many of them teachers — in support of a program that blends physical activity with life-skills development.
Those who age out of that program can move on to Heart & Sole, a related program for middle-school youth.
At both levels, participation in the 5K is the culminating event each semester.
The Girls on the Run initiative got its start nationally in 1996 and has served more than two million youth. The Northern Virginia program began in 2000 and has served nearly 100,000 participants in spring and fall seasons.
