On your mark, get set, go!

After 10 weeks of preparation, it’s time for Girls on the Run and STRIDE runners to put themselves to the test.

More than 600 participants in the YMCA of Greater Brandywine’s Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs, each with their own running buddy, will run a 5K on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Downingtown West High School. A high-energy, up-tempo celebration with an emcee and DJ kicks it off at 8:30 AM before the 5K starts at 9.

Many of the runners, who represent more than 40 Chester County schools, are taking part in their first 5K. The event serves as the culmination of Girls on the Run’s and STRIDE’s 10-week, after-school program for kids. The programs, offered through the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, leverage the power of running to teach kids and teens valuable character building lessons, build self-esteem, and promote healthy living.

Twice a week since October, these athletes have engaged in roundtable discussions centering around character building, self-confidence, conflict resolution, healthy living, and giving back to the community. Each discussion is capped with a 5K training session. These discussions and training sessions are led by volunteer coaches like West Chester resident Will Wood, who has coached STRIDE at Hillsdale Elementary School for nine seasons.

“When the season wraps up and we get to the day of the 5K, I find myself overwhelmed by the opportunity to spend the afternoon watching the boys I coached do something incredible,” he said. “I have coached other sports and been involved in dozens of activities as a parent. None of them has made this big of an impact on me or my family. I say it every season: I get more out of this than the runners do.”

For Wood, the transformation he sees in the kids he coaches is what keeps him coming back. Many of the kids in the program begin in third grade and then come back for additional seasons.

“Watching these runners go from third-graders who can barely finish a lap to accomplished runners is incredible, but watching them go from third-grade ‘kids’ to teammates in fourth grade and leaders in fifth grade makes me realize every year that we underestimate what our children do,” said Wood.

To learn more about, or get involved with, Girls on the Run or STRIDE in Chester County, please contact kgute@ymcagbw.org.