FOX Sports North marketing director Nikki White thought that she was signing on to coach a group of young runners when she decided to volunteer with the Twin Cities chapter of national non-profit Girls on the Run.
With a presence in more than 225 cities across North America, GOTR is billed as a 10-week program that prepares girls in grades 3-5 to run a 5k.
After several weeks' worth of training, the organization is set to host its signature event on Saturday, as girls from across the Twin Cities converge on Harriet Island for the Alerus Mortgage GOTR Fall 5k.
However, White's reality was a bit different.
"When I started I thought it was all about running, because I'm a runner," she said. "I thought I'd just be getting them ready for a 5k.
"At the start of every session we sit down and probably 25 minutes is spent talking about issues that girls in that age range will face," White added, "and then the workout is based on what we've discussed."
Girls on the Run is all about empowering young girls and providing them with coaches and teachers to facilitate discussions and activities on decision-making, body image and bullying.
And while White sometimes wondered whether or not her coaching was having an impact on her team, she says that the experience has had a positive influence on the girls, both on and off the racecourse.
"I thought we were not having any impact at all on these girls," she said. "You'd sit down and you'd think they weren't paying any attention, and they're off doing cartwheels or whatever, and then at the end of the day we'd come back from the last class we had and say 'remember when we were talking about community, or making friends' and they really were picking up on what we were talking about."
Despite currently reaching nearly 700 girls, GOTR Twin Cities is looking to expand even further.
"Their goal is to get more dads and positive male role models involved with Girls on the Run," White said.
And that's where FOX Sports North comes in.
"We skew towards a male [demographic], not an entirely male [demographic], but our impetus was helping them drive that particular audience," White said.
The 5k gets underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday, while same-day registration opens at 7 a.m.
Register: http://www.gotrtwincities.org/race/374-girls-on-the-run-twin-cities-fall-2015-5k
More Info: http://www.gotrtwincities.org
