Girls 'On the Run' Again in Morris Plains, Township

The Girls on the Run program is ready to launch its fall season in both Morris Plains and Morris Township. 

Girls on the Run, designed for grades 3-5, uses running as a way to build self-esteem and self respect, plus encourage healthy lifestyle choices among pre-teen girls. The accompanying curriculum addresses the girls' "physical, emotional, mental and social well-being," and helps them to avoid risky behavior.

Serious stuff. Triathlete Molly Barker of North Carolina founded the organization to help girls get out of the "girl box"—that time in middle school when girls "begin to morph into what they think they should be instead of being who they really are."

The programs is ten weeks long, from early September through late November, with groups meeting twice per week after school. Exact start dates will be emailed by coaches. The culmination of the program is a 5K run on November 20.

Girls on the Run of NJ East has been providing tools to help face the challenges of growing up as a girl in our society and doing it with grace and in good health—with active programs in Maplewood, Millburn, Morristown, Princeton, Chatham, Berkeley Heights, Florham Park, Hopewell, Mendham and Summit.

The local "GOTR" is one of more than 150 councils under the umbrella of Girls on the Run International in the U.S. and Canada. The group's mission is "to educate and empower girls at an early age in order to prevent the display of at-risk activities in the future. At risk activities include substance/alcohol use, eating disorders, early onset of sexual activity, sedentary lifestyle, depression, suicide attempts and confrontations with the juvenile justice system."

South Orange mom Sydney Davis first started with GOTR coaching in Millburn and Summit. She has remained director of the New Jersey East program for all 10-plus years of its existence in the state.