Get set for Girls on the Run!

Girls on the Run of the Triangle is hosting its annual Spring Run on April 19 at Meadowmont in Chapel Hill.  The race is open to anyone, but especially for the girls who are completing their 10-week Girls on the Run program. The girls' families are encouraged to run the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race with them.

Girls on the Run was founded in Charlotte in 1996, and the organization now has more than 140 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The program targets girls 8 to 12 years of age and encourages self awareness, strong personal values and healthy lifestyles.

The Triangle branch, founded in 2000 and led by executive director, Kelly Hurter, hopes to prepare girls for the mean behavior they often encounter in middle school. Different lessons are taught each week to the 500 girls training in 20 Triangle locations. After discussions about gossip and bullies or honesty and loyalty, the girls start running laps.

Though the curriculum is as much a focus of the training as the running is, the girls are prepared to tackle the 3.1 mile race by the end of the 10-week program. Girls on the Run of theTriangle offers two 10-week programs, in the spring and the fall, each culminating with an end of season WonderGirl 5-K.

For more information about the program and to register for the Spring Run on April 19, visit the Web site at www.gotrtriangle.com.