Keep Calm and Run-A-Thon to benefit Girls on the Run!

Join us April 20 after the 5k for our first ever Run-A-Thon at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA! After a kick off luncheon with Molly Barker, Founder and Vision Keeper of Girls on the Run, our amazing RUNdraisers will run relay-style on treadmills at the Y. Each runner (or walker!) is committed to an hour on the treadmill, and then another runner will take over! It’s our goal to have at least one runner going every hour from 2PM Saturday, April 20th until 2PM Sunday, April 21! We also are hoping to cover one mile for all 507 girls who have participated in the program since it began in fall 2011.

To be a RUNdraiser, you simply commit to raising a minimum of $125 for the Girls on the Run East Central Illinois scholarship program. This is more than a full scholarship for a girl to participate in the program when they otherwise might not be able to afford it! RUNdraisers will receive a Keep Calm & Run-A-Thon medal, shirt, a ticket to the kick off luncheon with Molly Barker, and an entry into the RUNdraiser-only raffle to win a Garmin GPS watch & heart rate monitor!

The kick off luncheon with Molly Barker is open to anyone who wishes to attend! We will be presenting our first ever Coach of the Year and Wondergirl awards. Then we will invite Molly up to the stage! Tickets are $15. Past or present participants and coaches can purchase tickets for $10.

Registration forms for the Run-A-Thon are available at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA, or contact Ashli for more information: ashli.crowe@girlsontherun.org.

For more information or tickets to the kick off luncheon, visit or call the YMCA (217) 234-9494 and ask for Ashli or Beth or email Ashli at the above email address.

Register now for the Spring 2013 5K!

The Community 5k benefiting Girls on the Run East Central Illinois is Saturday, April 20 at 9 am! Register online NOW!

Start and finish at Charleston High School’s Trojan Hill.

The Girls on the Run 5k is the culmination of GOTR East Central Illinois 10-week season. Join us as local girls celebrate their “girl power” by running 3.1 miles together with their coaches, families, friends, teachers, and community members. This is a 5k event that is open to anyone who is willing to run, walk, or skip to the finish line!

This is non-competitive, celebration 5K, and times will not be recorded nor will results be posted. All finishers will receive a medal, lots of cheers and the admiration of all spectators. Everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner!

Registration for spring 2013 is OPEN!

Get excited for the next awesome season of Girls on the Run in east-central Illinois! More sites have been added, so we can reach even more girls and bring the power of Girls on the Run to even more people in our community.

Our spring 2013 season begins the week of February 11, 2013 and ends the week of April 25. The Girls on the Run 5k will be on Saturday, April 20. You are welcome to join your girl at the 5k for an additional $20. Participation in the 5k is completely voluntary. The $100 fee includes 20 lessons, healthy snacks, water bottle, t-shirt, celebration 5k, finisher’s medal and an end of the season celebration. Full and partial scholarships are available for families in need.

Sites are limited to a maximum of 15 girls, and registration is on a first come first serve basis.

Girls on the Run Locations (3rd-5th Grades)

• Mattoon YMCA: Tues. & Thurs., 4-5:30 pm
• St. John’s Lutheran School, Mattoon: Mon. & Wed., 4-5:30 pm
• Riddle Elementary, Mattoon: Mon. & Wed., 3:15-4:45 pm
• Jefferson Elementary School, Charleston: Mon. & Wed., 3:15-4:45 pm
• Wesley Methodist Church, Charleston: Tues. & Thurs., 3:30-5 pm
• Sullivan Armory: Mon. and Wed., 3:30-5 pm
• East Prairie Middle School, Tuscola: Mon. & Wed., 4-5:30 pm
• Okaw Valley Elementary, Bethany: Tues. & Thurs., 3:30-5 pm
• Windsor High School: Tues. & Thurs., 3:30-5 pm
• Fayette YMCA, Vandalia: Mon. 3:30-5 pm & Friday 6-7:30 pm
• Effingham: days & times TBD
• Arthur High School: Mon. & Thurs., 4-5:30 pm
• Moulton Middle School, Shelbyville: Tues. & Thurs., 3:15-4:45 pm

Girls on Track (6th-8th Grades)

• Charleston Middle School: Mon. & Wed., 3:30-5 pm
• Mattoon YMCA: Mon. & Wed., 4-5:30 pm
• Moulton Middle School, Shelbyville: Tues. & Thurs., 3:15-4:45 pm
• Okaw Valley Middle School, Findlay: Mon. & Thurs., 3:30-5 pm
• Vandalia Middle School: Tues. & Thurs., 3:30-4:45 pm
• Windsor High School: Mon. & Wed., 3:30-5 pm

Girls on the Run is a non-profit 501-c3 with the mission of educating and preparing girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. Powerful women and men role models lead 3rd-8th grade girls through a ten week program where they use fun running games and experiential activities to help girls learn about expressing themselves, making good choices, creating healthy habits and serving their community.

The program culminates in a non-competitive 5k event which gives each girl a chance to shine and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The girls complete the program with a stronger sense of identity, a greater acceptance of themselves, a healthier body image and an understanding of what it means to be part of a team. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts.