What starts as an after-school program built around movement and mentorship ends with hundreds of girls crossing a finish line they once weren’t sure they could reach.
That moment — the Girls on the Run 5K — has become the centerpiece of a growing regional effort to build confidence, connection, and resilience among young girls, according to Kelly Fisher. The event, set for May 16 at Monroe Community College, caps a 10-week season that blends physical activity with life skills development for participants across multiple counties.
Girls on the Run Greater Rochester is part of a broader international network that began in 1996 and has steadily expanded across the U.S. and Canada. Locally, the Rochester-based council has been operating since 2010, serving girls in Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Livingston counties through programs typically held after school.
The structure is deliberate. Participants — generally in grades three through eight — work through a curriculum designed to teach goal-setting, confidence, communication, and relationship-building. Alongside those lessons, they train for a 5K, breaking the distance into manageable milestones that build toward a single, shared objective.
For many, that finish line represents more than physical achievement.
“It’s really a celebration,” Fisher said of the event, describing it as a culmination of weeks of effort and growth. The atmosphere, she explained, is intentionally upbeat and supportive, with families, coaches, and volunteers lining the course as participants complete the race.
The scale reflects the program’s reach. Roughly 60 schools are involved in the spring season alone, with participation spanning dozens more in the fall. That footprint has grown steadily, fueled in part by broader interest in running and community fitness since the pandemic.
But growth has also introduced complexity.
With a small staff — just one full-time employee and a handful of part-time roles — the organization relies heavily on volunteers to operate. That includes more than 300 volunteer coaches annually, along with dozens more who help with logistics ranging from distributing materials to organizing the 5K itself.
That volunteer network is critical not just for execution, but for access.
Fisher said between 30% and 40% of participants receive financial assistance each season, with scholarships, equipment, and apparel provided to ensure cost is not a barrier. Entire teams in higher-need districts may participate at no cost, and participants who need gear — including running shoes — are outfitted through partnerships and donations.
The result is a program designed to meet girls where they are — whether they arrive as experienced runners or complete beginners.
Interest continues to expand, both among students and adults. Many volunteers, Fisher noted, are drawn in by their own experiences with running and the role it plays in managing stress and improving mental health — something the program actively teaches participants to recognize and use.
New schools can still join, with fall programming beginning in September and onboarding typically wrapping up by early August. The process requires school approval, volunteer coaches, and coordination with program staff, but Fisher said there is ample time for districts that want to get involved.
For now, the focus remains on the upcoming 5K — the moment where weeks of preparation converge.
For the girls lining up at the start, it’s the final step in a process designed to prove something simple: that goals once seen as out of reach can, with the right support, become achievable.
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