Girls on the Run

It was a festive atmosphere outside the Washington YMCA on Thursday afternoon.

Young runners and their running buddies, cheered by a large group of family, friends and other supporters, ran the Girls on the Run 5K.

“They’ve been working for the past eight weeks running each day and doing activities that focus on girl power,” head coach Katie Quinn said. “This is the finale of it all.”

According to its website, Girls on the Run, a national nonprofit organization, is a physical activity-based positive youth development program designed to enhance girls’ social, emotional and physical skills and behaviors to successfully navigate life experiences.

“It’s an organization empowering young girls and helping them support each other and encourage each other to become strong women,” Quinn said. “We incorporate running into that.

“The mission of Girls on the Run is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.”

Eighteen girls from third, fourth and fifth grades in Lincoln Elementary and St. James School took part in the program.

“There are 18 girls, and each girl has a running buddy that runs with her,” Quinn said. “It can be a parent, friend, teacher or community member.”

The runners took off from the YMCA and ran along the Kewash Trail, eventually circling back to the YMCA.

As part of the program, the girls had to select a community impact project.

They chose Hawkeye Cans for Cancer and had a bottle and can collection trailer set up at the YMCA all day on May 20.

Quinn said that they are already making plans for next year’s 5K.