Girls on the Run 5K

The season-finale Girls on the Run 5K fun run was last Saturday on the campus of Garmin International in Olathe. What a great day we had!

Forget the frigid temperatures and the serious need for hot coffee (Thanks Jackie at Starbucks!) - things seriously heated up when we saw the look of pride on all of the finishers' faces.

The girls have been going through the GOTR curriculum for 10 weeks, learning all sorts of things about themselves, and how to be the best me they can be. They learn about self-esteem, how to deal with bullies, nutrition and how to stay out of the "girl box."

And then the culmination of the program - they run a 5K race, proving to themselves and to others that they are smart, they are strong - they can run all day long! This fall, we had about hundreds of runners out celebrating with our girls. From coaches and running buddies to proud parents and regular community members, there was a true spirit of fun and accomplishment in the air.

You can't tell from the photo how cold it truly was in the wind tunnel at Garmin. The sun came out right when the race started and we had a gorgeous race.

Here it becomes a bit more evident. The wind is blowing and the seriously pink cheeks show the girls' effort as well as the brisk air. But really how cute are these runners?! Beautiful girls, inside and out!

And this one. She was so proud of her medal. Being the only girl in a family of four boys and a boy dog, she showed them that girl power we all knew she had inside her!

And what blog post would be complete without a photo of my "Dog on the Run"!? Peter and I were the sweepers for the race, making sure no one got lost or left behind. We had a great walk, and Peter even got a finisher's medal. He too was so proud of it that he wore it for 3 days straight!

Taking care of all those girls was sure a lot of hard work though. Between making sure there was coffee for the volunteers and hanging signs and setting up the sound system, Peter was on good mood patrol - ensuring all the runners and spectators had a smile on their face the entire morning. Because, really, that's what Girls on the Run is all about.