Girls on the Run Nebraska holds fall 5K

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Elementary-aged girls got to run a 5K and practice other skills they’ve learned from Girls on the Run Nebraska on Sunday.

The run was back for the first time in three years because of the pandemic. Over 1,000 girls and their buddies hit the train Sunday morning.

Girls on the Run Nebraska is a non-profit organization that is connected with participating schools across the state.

Girls meet with their coaches and fellow runners to learn life skills such as kindness being a good friend and being a leader. They combine that work with running, which led to Sunday’s 5K.

Melissa Reiner has two daughters who have been apart of the program.

“It’s great because I think it gives them a sense of confidence,” Reiner said. “It also teaches them to make new friends, learn about different people and it gives them the skill and the confidence that they can go out and run and be a confident person.”

The girls ran through the Airpark Neighborhood. There were 1,000 participants including the girls and their run buddies, like their parents, coaches and mentors. Reiner hopes that their journey with the program doesn’t end here.

“I hope my girls are involved, it ends in fifth grade for us unfortunately, but I hope as they grow older maybe they can volunteer and be a mentor for the program because I think it does a lot for girls,” Reiner said.

Sarah Swim got into coaching at St. Patrick’s with the program 12 years ago, and hasn’t looked back.

“I actually had a student come up to me two weeks before the program started and said ‘my mom said you look like a runner, do you want to start this club?’ and I said ok!” said Swim. “I’m actually not a big runner.”

Years later, the program still impacts Swim and her former runners.

“One of the girls that was on my first team was a run buddy for a girl on our team this year,” Swim said. “It’s fun to be apart of something bigger than they even know.”

Girls on the Run Nebraska serves almost 2,000 girls each school year at nearly 100 schools. If you are interested in getting involved with Girls on the Run, click here.

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