Girls on the Run, a Santa Fe program, aims to help pre-teen girls develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running.

The program offers a 24-lesson curriculum to girls in grades 3 through 6 that addresses the issue of the “girl-box” – where only girls who are a certain size with a certain beauty are popular – something Director Kristin Edwards says she understands very well. She was a competitive gymnast from age 7 – during the time of popular Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci.

"It was very important how you looked and how much you weighed," remembers Edwards. "I was weighed before every practice, six days a week." Though she was never overweight, she says she didn't look like Nadia.

Edwards started running in college. "I felt such freedom," she says. “I don't feel judged when I run."

Later, when she heard about Girls on the Run (GOTR), she knew she wanted to be involved. "I wanted to be a part of a program that showed girls that they had worth outside of what their bodies look like. And to teach them the joy and freedom of running or walking."

So Edwards and a few others started a local chapter of the national nonprofit organization in 2006.

GOTR participant Alicia, a local 5th-grader, says she learned that girls and women are strong in many ways. For 6th-grader Melissa, it's about never giving up. And Brenda, also in 6th grade, says "I've learned that girls can do anything in life. And never say we can't."

GOTR, which has over 120 councils across the United States and Canada with tens of thousands of girls participating, offers its curriculum through after-school programs at recreational centers and other non-profit settings. The program combines training for a running event with addressing all aspects of girls' development – emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical. The girls learn about healthy food choices and physical fitness and work toward completing a 5K run.

During each afterschool meeting, girls warm up, stretch and work out, of course, but they also discuss important issues, and there are always many positive words from the coaches. The girls are getting to know themselves and becoming part of a team.

"GOTR is aimed at all girls, regardless of race, class, ethnicity or physical ability," said Edwards, who adds that the program offers scholarships. "We don't want cost to hinder anyone's ability to participate."

The spring session culminates in early June with the “Santa Fe Run Around,” the city's largest running race. And registration is now ongoing for the fall session, which kicks off the second week in September. Participants will train for the “Fowl Day Run” held around Thanksgiving.

Each session is 10 to 12 weeks long and programs are held at Piñon, Agua Fria and Gonzales elementary schools.

GOTR is run by volunteers – and the council is always looking for more. "Right now, no one is paid," says Edwards. "It is about passion that we share this program."

Currently, there are about 30 active volunteers, coaches and board members. Committees are being formed for marketing, events, grant writing and development.

"And we are always looking for coaches," says Edwards. Coaching requires a background check, CPR and GOTR training, and working with the girls one to two times per week and race days.

Many women who volunteer come to GOTR because of their own bad experiences. Edwards says some were overweight in elementary school and never felt accepted, while others were pigeon-holed as jocks, nerds or divas. The common bond is that they never felt they could be themselves.

The same goes for GOTR founder Molly Barker. This four-time Hawaii Ironman Triathlete, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., has her own “girl-box” story that led her to create the program in 1996.

When she bought her first pair of running shoes at age 15, Barker was like most girls her age – trying to figure out who she was inside a changing body; desperately wanting to be liked by the beautiful crowd and to be popular with boys.

Her inspiration came years later during a particular sunset run and – drawing on her expertise in counseling, teaching and adolescent issues – grew into the first version of the curriculum. Barker's latest book is titled “Girls Lit from Within: A Guide to Life Outside of the Girl Box.”

In 20 some years, if she has anything to say about it, her daughter – and thousands of other girls like her – will never have to break out of a “girl-box.”

For information on the Santa Fe GOTR program, call director Kristin Edwards at 505-982-8647 or visit the local Web site at www.gotr-sf.org. The national GOTR Web site is www.girlsontherun.com.