This Saturday, May 7th, Girls on the Run of Northeast Tennessee will host their largest 5K race, the Girls on the Run 5K presented by Families for a Healthier Eastman. The organization is expecting over 1,200 participants, including over 600 girls from all over Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The race is an inspiring gathering of friends, family and community and concludes the Spring 2016 Girls on the Run season. Completing the 5K gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.

The following schools from Elizabethton have Girls on the Run teams this season: East Side Elementary, Happy Valley Middle, and West Side Elementary.

The Girls on the Run 5K presented by Families for a Healthier Eastman is a COLOR SPLASH and begins at 9 a.m. at South Side Elementary, 1011 Southwest Avenue, Johnson City.

“Like the Fall race, we have a $1,000 School Challenge sponsored by Mountain States Health Alliance. The top two schools with the most 5K participants (as a percentage of total enrolled students) will be awarded $1,000! This is to allow for a little healthy competition between the schools. It is also a way to get the entire Tri-Cities community out to have fun and be active together. We also have a component to get families active together, a family registration discount of $15 off three or more registrants from the same household.” said Ashley Merrill, marketing manager for Girls on the Run of Northeast Tennessee. The top two schools will be presented $1,000 at the race. Last Fall’s winning schools were Tusculum View Elementary (Greeneville) and North Side Elementary (Johnson City).

“If you haven’t experienced a Girls on the Run 5K, you really need to come out and see it for yourself! You’ll see over 600 girls achieving something they’ve been working on for 12 weeks. You will see runners getting splashed with color! You will see groups of girls holding hands, encouraging each other across the finish line. You will see people cheering, hugging, high-fiving. The girls each have the goal of finishing the 3.1-mile course, however, it doesn’t matter how fast they run, walk or skip – the accomplishment is that they reach their own goal. It’s such an inspiring, uplifting event!” said Ashley Merrill, marketing director for the event.

The mission of Girls on the Run is to unleash confidence and find ways to involve girls in healthy lifestyles. Girls on the Run of Northeast Tennessee was founded in 2006 with a team of 15 girls. There are 41 teams this season and over 1,200 girls who participate in the program each year. For the 5K race, girls work up endurance during their 12-week, 24-lesson season.

“Girls on the Run aims to build girls’ confidence. It’s about way more than running; the girls are learning about things like positive self-talk, healthy eating habits, and how to stand up to peer pressure and bullying.” said Merrill.

Volunteers are welcome to participate in helping with the race, and anyone can register for the race. All registered participants will receive a race shirt.

For more information about Girls on the Run of Northeast Tennessee or to register for the 5K, visit www.StrongGirlsRun.com.