VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) — After 10 weeks of setting goals, building friendships, and preparing for a challenge, hundreds of Girls on the Run participants will come together Saturday, Nov. 14 for a 5k celebration in Valdosta.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. at the historic Lowndes County Courthouse, with a confetti launch to send the runners on their way. The route heads down Patterson Street toward Valdosta State University before returning to the courthouse.

About 300 girls have been preparing for the event through the after-school program, according to Mary Crawford, CEO of Girls on the Run South Georgia Coastal Lowcountry.

“And they’re learning how to do hard things,” Crawford said. “And that’s what Saturday is all about. It’s a big celebration that’s going to make a big deal over all the work that they’ve done.”

While Saturday’s 5k is a chance for the girls to celebrate their progress, Crawford said the program’s work goes beyond running.

Over the course of 10 weeks, participants meet in small groups with trained coaches and practice skills they can use as they navigate growing up, she said.

“How to be a friend, how to make friends, how to compromise, how to work together, how to set a really big goal and accomplish it,” she explained.

The program aims to support girls at an age when they can face challenges with confidence and outside influences. She hopes the lessons help them approach future challenges as they move through middle and high school.

Community runners are invited to take part in Saturday’s 5k alongside the girls. Registration will be open from 7 to 7:30 a.m.

Even the possibility of chilly weather is not dampening the group’s enthusiasm.

“We will be out there celebrating,” Crawford said. “The girls are ready to go.”

She also emphasized the importance of young participants seeing women in their community as role models as they think about their own futures.

Girls on the Run’s territory has expanded to a 44-county area, Crawford said, and the organization is working to reach more communities across those counties.

She said the program has gotten encouraging feedback from the girls, their caregivers, and school administrators about the changes they see in participants.

“We’re hearing back from girls, their caretakers, their administrators at their schools saying they can tell a difference when a girl has been through our program,” Crawford said.

For the girls gathering at the courthouse Saturday, the 5k will mark both the end of their 10-week program and a chance to celebrate what they have learned along the way.

Event details

• When: Saturday, Nov. 14; registration from 7 to 7:30 a.m.; 5k starts at 8 a.m.
• Where: Historic Lowndes County Courthouse in Valdosta (100 E Central Ave.)
• Route: Along Patterson Street toward Valdosta State University, then back to the courthouse
• Who: Girls on the Run participants and community runners

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