'Girls on the Run' in North Palos District 117

—from North Palos District 117

Photo: From left: McKenna, Mia, Grandma Vicki and mom Tracy.

McKenna and Mia Robinson are all smiles and nervous energy as they sit patiently in the kitchen of their Palos Hills home waiting to talk about the big race. To the sisters, ages 11 and 10, the race is a culmination of three months of gains they’ve made as part of the “Girls on the Run” afterschool running club at Oak Ridge School.

But the race is also a chance for the fiercely competitive girls to re-affirm an even greater bond they share with their mom, Tracy, and grandma, Vicki Dufner. After three months of running twice a week, the 50 or so girls involved in the running club will have a chance participate in a 5K race on June 7 at the Joliet Speedway.

One of the rules of the June 7 race is that each girl must be accompanied by a “running buddy.” Mia immediately asked Grandma Vicki, who is retired after 30 years as a gym teacher. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something like this with my daughter and my granddaughters,” Dufner said. “We’ve been walking every night to prepare. We’ll be OK.”

Mia and McKenna said they enjoy the running club and look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays. “It’s a lot of fun,” said McKenna, who also participates in softball and volleyball camps and plays the trombone. “I like hanging out with my friends and the running club is a good way for me to do that.

“This makes me push myself and gives me confidence to do whatever it is I want to accomplish,” she said.

Not to be outdone, Mia, who has a twin brother Noah with whom she also shares some friendly sibling rivalry, said she, too, enjoys running. “It helps with endurance which I need for softball and tennis,” she said. “It’s also nice to be out there with my sister.”

One thing Mia said she has noticed as a result of all the running she has been doing is that she has been a lot hungrier than usual. “I definitely am eating more,” she said.

While Mia and McKenna run their six-plus miles each week, Tracy and Vicki are doing their best to prepare for the race by walking the neighborhood or on the treadmill. With grandma living right next door, it makes walking together that much easier.

“Girls on the Run” was created a few years ago to increase self-esteem among young girls while helping to encourage friendships.