Girls on the Run of the Bay Area held their annual Fall 5K on November 15, with over 2000 girls, coaches, volunteers and parents joining in on the fun. 46 teams gathered in Marina Park, San Leandro on a cool but dry morning.
“This is the biggest and best 5K I think I’ve been to,” said Kaleena, the Public Relations Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta of UC Berkeley. “It was cute to see my sisters hold the banner that the girls run through and to hand out tutus and bracelets and little inspiration cards to all the little girls that we made for them.” This was Kaleena’s 3rd year volunteering at the 5K with over 50 members of the Chapter showing up to help volunteer this year.
The goal of the 5K is to help Bay Area youth realize their limitless potential, using the 16 sessions leading up to the event to work on their social, emotional and movement skills. The 5K is the culminating event where participants can achieve a sense of accomplishment as they cross the finish line.
To begin the fun run, San Leandro Mayor Juan González III, using a megaphone, announced the countdown. From there, participants began their way through the park in waves.
“It’s super exciting. It’s your adrenaline going because there’s just so many people and so much joy and positivity everywhere that it makes the run easy,” said Julie, a parent volunteer who coaches the Pleasant Hill Elementary team in the East Bay. “So if anybody’s struggling, it just makes it that much easier for them because they just want to keep going with the momentum and the flow of everything.”
Julie’s daughter, Satyana, said, “It was really fun, and I liked getting to break the finish line.”
Claire, another participant, agreed, saying, “It was really fun and exciting. It’s kind of hard but also it’s fun going to the finish line.”
Finishing with an estimated time of 25:40, Micaela, representing Edna Maguire Elementary, was the first girl to finish the fun run. She ran alongside Coach Tatyana.
Reflecting on Micaela’s performance in practice, Tatyana said, “She was the fastest runner, she had endurance. She always participated and was very involved and wanted to lead activities. Her parents said they didn’t know if she could run, and they were really surprised.”
After finishing the fun run, participants were given a commemorative medal to celebrate their hard effort throughout the season, with the medal bringing a tangible feeling of achievement. Many of the girls, alongside their parents and coaches, left the park with more enthusiasm and energy than before the 5K!