Girls on the Run happy to be back running together
Local nonprofit group holds 5K race at Penn State Berks
Michaela Hirneisen was a ball of pure energy.
The 8-year-old danced as she stood beneath a parking lot at Penn State Berks Saturday morning, Nov. 13, hopping from one leg to the other. She spoke so quickly that her sentences sounded like a single, long word.
It was hard to tell what she was most excited about.
She was eager for the Girls on the Run Berks 5K she was about to run, the first she had ever tackled. But she was also a bit worried.
“I’m only kind of excited because my foot hurts and it’s cold,” she said.
Her more immediate joy may have been for the hot drink she was standing in line to get.
“I want hot chocolate,” she squealed.
Once that was downed, however, her attention turned back to the race. And the smile that stretched across her face as she toed the starting line showed she was probably a little more than just “kind of excited.”
Michaela’s visible enthusiasm was shared by most of the more than 120 girls who also gathered in that parking lot Saturday, with smiles and giggles and dancing in abundance. And that site was heartwarming for the race’s organizers.
It had been about two years since Girls on the Run Berks, a nonprofit group that aims to inspire and support girls, had been able to hold an in-person 5K. Last year COVID forced the annual event to a virtual format, which just isn’t quite the same.
“You don’t have the excitement of everyone being together,” said Kirsten Haas, Girls on the Run Berks executive director.
Haas said fostering that excitement is important as a way to celebrate the culmination of the group’s fall program. That program, which runs for eight to 10 weeks, prepares girls to run the
race and instills in them important lessons that will impact the rest of their lives.
Like being able to set goals and work to accomplish them.
“It's not about being fast or being a great technical runner,” she said. “Every girl crosses that finish line and they've done it.”
Working in the corporate world for more than 20 years, Haas said she experienced how hard it can be for women to have their voice heard or “get a seat at the table.” She was lucky enough to have people to help support and foster her, and that's what she hopes the girls who take part in Girls on the Run receive.
“This is an opportunity to pay that forward,” she said. “We want them to learn that they don't need someone to tell them they can do something, they can do it.”
And letting girls know that at a young age in incredibly important, Haas said. Girls on the Run focuses on girls ages 8 to 13.
“They're starting to be told they can't do this or you shouldn't do that,” Haas said. “Girls need to understand they don't have limits, they can do whatever they want to do.”
Sophia Holmes is taking such lessons to heart.
“I learned to stand up to people and to not give up,” the 10-year-old said.
Alande Torres said she learned the importance of trying to find happiness and believing in herself.
“I learned how to turn on my star power,” the 8-yearold said.
One thing that makes Alande happy is running, and she was ready to roll Saturday morning.
“I love running, it's just a good exercise for girls,” she said. “I'm happy, I'm super excited.”
About 300 people took part in Saturday's race, with the 122 girls who took part in the fall program being joined by family, friends and community members. The 5K course wound through the campus at Penn State Berks.