By Joseph Wilson, father of Girls on the Run participant
Girls on the Run and the YMCA hold a special place in my heart. Whether it was shooting baskets at my local Y as a kid, or watching my daughter, now 13, enjoy two seasons of Girls on the Run a few years ago, I feel particularly attached and a strong sense of loyalty to the YMCA.
It was a few years ago when my daughter ran her first 5K in Northville through Girls on the Run. Unfortunately, I was in such poor condition that I wasn’t able to even walk the course, and it was in that moment that I realized that my attitude, lifestyle and fitness level was in stark contrast to what the Girls on the Run program teaches young people. Beaming with pride as my daughter crossed the finish line, I told her that if she ever ran another one, I’d run it with her. She signed up for the spring session, and I knew that I had a promise to keep.
As I changed my diet, and slowly started walking, then running, I was able to lose over 100 pounds in just eight months. We struggled through every inch of her second 5K at Oakland University, but we made it… changing my life forever.
Since then, I have ran three half marathons, two full marathons, one sprint triathlon, one Olympic triathlon and one Half Ironman. Last fall, in order to register for the Chicago Marathon, I raised over $1,500 for Girls on the Run.
I have several marathons, half-marathons, and 70.3 triathlons on this summer’s docket. I am attempting my first full Ironman in November.
It’s amazing that this program was intended to positively impact my daughter, but I ended up getting just as much, if not more, out of it. I give equal credit to my daughter and Girls on the Run for this life change.