Despite rain, cold, and potentially dangerous storms closing in, the Girls On The Run program wrapped up its season earlier this month with the biggest fall 5K in its history.
It was also the close of the inaugural season of STRIDE, a character building running program for boys that launched out of the South Oakland Y this year.
The weather forecast for the day of the run was pretty scary for everyone…heavy rain, damaging wind and possibly even tornadoes were scheduled for the afternoon.
“My brother is a meteorologist, and I called him and said ‘you need to give me the inside scoop’,” says Jacqueline Kippen, Girls On The Run council director. “His actual words were ‘potentially historic severe weather.’”
He reassured her, though, that nothing was going to hit before the afternoon so if she could get everyone out of Kensington Metropark, where the race was held, by 1 p.m. the runners, coaches, and their families would be home safe by the time the worst of the weather hit.
“The volunteers were calling me the dictator,” Jacqueline says with a laugh. “As soon as the girls left I was having everybody clean up — usually people kind of have coffee and chat while the girls are out, but I was having everyone clean up while they were out on the course so I could get everyone out by 1. I think I was the last one out at five minutes after 1!”
Despite the weather warnings this was the largest turnout they ever had for a fall season race: 1100 girls and 200 coaches; with family participants, the 5K was more than 2500 people, Jacqueline says.
The STRIDE program boys ran before the girl’s race, and it was also a successful event for them. The coaches made capes for the boys to run in (and stay warm!) and they got to enjoy the post-race celebration as well. STRIDE will also expand in the spring to six school sites that have had successful Girls On The Run programs.
Sponsors stepped up as well to support the program: Precor donated $1000 to expand the program this season, Holiday Market in Royal Oak donated 400 pounds of oranges for post-race snacks; Culligan Water donated all the bottled water, cups and dispensers; the Junior League of Birmingham put race packets together, and at the post-race party, DJ Knight was the highlight of the event, Jacquie says. “He was so good — he was letting the girls dance onstage and his music choice as wonderful.”
Check out the Girls on The Run Facebook page for videos from the event! Early registration for the spring season is going on now.