"Yes, I Run Like a Girl. So Try, and Catch Me!”

On Sunday, two University City women will run all 26.2 miles of the Chicago Marathon as SoleMates charity runners for Girls on the Run (GOTR) and Girls on Track (GOT).

Sara Houlette, 31, and Julia Wilke, 32, who've been training since June, began their SoleMates journey with a goal of raising $1,000 each. They've exceeded that goal. All the money raised will go toward the scholarship fund of the local GOTR/GOT council.

The two are part of the GOTR coaching team at Flynn Park Elementary.

GOTR is non-profit prevention program for girls in the 3rd through 8th grade.The 20-lesson Girls on the Run curriculum combines training for a 5k (3.1 miles) running event. In the process girls are empowered to make  healthy choices for themselves, and to be comfortable in their own skin. The program culminates in a 5k that draws thousands of participants and spectators to Forest Park.

“We are empowering the women of tomorrow to find their own voice and live fearlessly,” says Katy Sommer, development director of the local St. Louis council. She adds that finishing a 5k makes the girls feel unstoppable.

The St. Louis council of GOTR/GOT serves 170 schools in 18 counties across the metro area. The local council receives the curriculum, and branding from the GOTR international office, but raises its operational and scholarship funding independently.

“This year, we’ll distribute approximately $360,000 in scholarships,” said Sommer. “We do not turn away a girl if she wants to participate.”

The cost of the program from the first practice to the final medal is $150, but individual school fees are set by a pricing model developed at Washington University. The model accounts for factors like how many students at a school qualify for free and reduced lunch, as well as other community indicators to set a sliding scale of program fees across the region.

“We encourage buy-in and sense of ownership from families,” said Sommer. All families are encouraged to contribute as they are able, and scholarship funds are used to cover the cost, or make-up the difference between the program fee and the fee set for the school. Scholarship funds are also used to help provide shoes for girls who need them.

The fundraising efforts of SoleMates like Houlette and Wilke make the GOTR program possible for many girls.

In University City, the GOTR/GOT program serves around 86 girls at Brittany Woods Middle School, Jackson Park Elementary School, Flynn Park Elementary School and Christ the King School.

At Flynn Park’s GOTR practices, Houlette, who is a Strategic Sourcing Manager for Ralcorp Holdings, and Wilke, who is a lawyer, are two of the seven coaches who facilitate discussion about the lessons, lead cheers and keep track of the laps and miles the girls have run. They also provide lots of support and encouragement as the girls reach their goals.

Wilke likes knowing that the money she raises will come back to girls in St. Louis. She started running in 2007, after the birth of her first daughter, as a means of exercise and stress relief. After growing up with exercise-induced asthma, she found running to be an empowering revelation.

“Once I realized that I could run...I realized I could add distance and speed to challenge myself, and I loved that,” said Wilke.

Appropriately a GOTR 5k was her first race. She anticipated that racing would be an intimidating experience, but quickly realized that a GOTR race is different from many other events, which don’t typically include hair paint, and thousands of yelling, cheering girls.

“Seeing the girls finish that 5k was amazing,” said Wilke. “It is the kind of joy I feel like every girl should have.”

Some of the girls in the Flynn Park group have told Wilke that they don’t think they could ever run as far as 26 miles.

“I tell them, ‘Neither did I, but you will surprise yourself if you want something badly enough and put forth the effort,” she said. Wilke thinks it is great that the coaches are setting for the girls of active, healthy women who work hard to achieve their goals.

The Chicago Marathon will be Wilke’s second marathon and second event as a SoleMate. It will be Houlette’s third marathon, but the first that she has run as a SoleMate.

“I’ve done previous races as a charity runner, and it brings so much more to the training when you know you’re running for a cause,” said Houlette.

Houlette began running as a member of her high school field hockey team, and continued running through college. While a senior at the University of Louisville, her roommate convinced her to train for a half marathon. Houlette has been running races of all lengths since then.

When Houlette moved to University City three years ago, she was looking for a volunteer opportunity, and investigated GOTR at the recommendation of a friend. 

“I went out to their fall race to check it out, and signed up as a coach that spring,” said Houlette. She signed up as a SoleMate because she’s seen the positive impact of GOTR on the girls she coaches at Flynn Park.

“Training to run a 5k encourages the girls not only to exercise, but to become teammates and friends with girls they may not otherwise know,” said Houlette. “It encourages them to think more positively about their bodies and the things that they value in their lives, and embrace their unique qualities.”

For their Chicago Marathon, Houlette and Wilke have trained with the Fleet Feet Training Team, through Fleet Feet Sports. The team atmosphere, shared suffering, encouragement and occasional outbursts of song make the miles easier.

“It’s nice to know that you have people around you who are just as crazy as you are, since the majority of the population thinks you are nuts for running 26.2 miles,” said Wilke

True to the GOTR spirit, Houlette and Wilke cite each other as their secret weapon for race day.

“Julia and I plan on running together and hopefully feeding off the energy of each other,” said Houlette.

Friends and family of the runners will cheer throughout the course, and Houlette has posted her boyfriend towards the end to lend encouragement for the last few miles.

Of course, back here in University City, the 35 members of Flynn Park’s GOTR team will be sending super-sparkles – a cheer designated by a downward motion of the hands while wiggling the fingers.

DISCLOSURE: Sara Alsup coaches GOTR with Houlette and Wilke at Flynn Park Elementary school.

GOTR STL WEBSITE: http://www.girlsontherunstlouis.org/

GOTR INTL WEBSITE http://www.girlsontherun.org/