Fit Girls find themselves running in Marblehead

Drive by the Village Middle School in Marblehead after school during the spring or fall, and a common sight is a large group of girls happily jogging around the area.
Thanks to the Fit Girls Run Club, girls from grades 4 through 6 have a place where they can meet new friends, learn to run in a healthy way, and develop self-confidence.
The program meets for a couple of hours after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays twice a year for six weeks.
The turnout has been strong. The club stands at 98 girls this season, just below the 100-runner cap that keeps the ratio of coaches to kids small.
The Fit Girls came out in force for their big race of the season, the Run for the Fund on Saturday around Devereux Beach. About 85 girls from the club ran in the race that supports the Marblehead Dollars for Scholars program, which provides financial aid based entirely on need.
It was a great day and the girls did awesome,” said Fit Girls Marblehead president Jennie Sheridan.
The program originated on the South Shore, but has spread across the country and, at one point, included 80 clubs spanning across the country. The Marblehead club began in 2012.
The Village school group consists of seven core coaches: Sheridan, Jenni Clock, Pattie Johnson, Annie Pugh, Mandy Murphy, Lisa Sugarman, and Sara Thatcher. The coaches also rely on volunteers to help supervise.
The emphasis of Fit Girls is not on performance, competition, or finishing within a set time limit, but teaching skills to run distances, regardless of skill level or speed. One of the goals is to give running as something positive.
?The club teaches girls safe and proper techniques and promotes a love of health and fitness,” said Mandy Caruso, mother of fourth-grader Saylor Caruso, who is participating in her second session of the Fit Girls club. “They focus on building strength, endurance, and perseverance. It?s about building a healthy foundation and teaching these girls to love themselves.”
The season culminates in a 5k run, Saturday?s Run for the Fund, that serves as the perfect opportunity to evaluate just how far the girls have progressed since the beginning of the session.
?We?re trying to teach that it?s not about how fast you run, but about crossing the finish line,” said Sheridan. “We?re all over the spectrum in terms of ability and pace. It?s rewarding to see the sense of pride the girls feel from accomplishing something.”
Tara McNamara, whose daughter, Ruby, has been participating in Fit Girls for three years, echoed that sentiment.
?(Ruby?s) made real improvements,” McNamara said. “When we started running the 5k, I?d be waiting for her to catch up. At this point, I?m behind her!”
The club?s coaches and volunteers aim to teach girls about more than just physical fitness. It provides a positive environment for kids who are navigating the often uncomfortable stages that accompany the ages of 9-12.
?This club is about setting goals and being true to yourself,” McNamara said. “They spread a positive message that?s not focused on physical attributes but developing self-esteem. It gives them the opportunity to be their best selves in a stage of their life where it?s not easy to be a girl.”
The club also involves community service. The girls get to give input on what charity or organization they want to support during fund-raising runs.
?I like running, but I love doing the community service because we get to be active with our minds and bodies,” said sixth-grader Riley Bowen, who participated in her sixth Fit Girls session this spring.
?The girls choose the charities, which gives them a sense of ownership and involvement,” said McNamara. “It takes them out of themselves and gives them a larger perspective.”
The coaches are also a big reason why the club has been such a success in Marblehead.
?We come with individual passions that we share with the girls to try and help them develop skills to make lifelong healthy choices,” said Sheridan.
?The coaches are dedicated, k