Girls Run by Laura Crack

My name is Laura Crack; long-time REAL Role Model and this year’s Fast and Female Girls’ Run Coordinator. I began volunteering at Fast and Female events coming from an extensive sport and physical activity background, competing in various sports! Currently, I am a PhD candidate researching osteoporosis (bone disease) treatments in different population types and a sessional university instructor teaching health and exercise science courses. I am enthusiastic about improving health and life with regular physical activity, and am, therefore, a big supporter of Fast and Female’s mission to provide self-identified girls a safe space to explore new sports and physical activities.

This year I had a blast coordinating the girls’ run! The job included everything from preparing/coordinating registration, the running course, participant groups, volunteers, and REAL Role Models, to packing swag bags and guiding the pack on run day. I worked closely with the wonderful staff members at Fast and Female and the Women’s Soap Run coordinator, Laurin, to plan the big weekend! We did our best to design a smooth check-in experience for participants and parents, ensure that all participants were able to enjoy a pre-run pump-up station to get in the zone and complete the run in a safe and happy environment. Compared to previous years, we increased the running distances to 1 or 2.5 kms (previously 0.5 or 2 kms, respectively) and had a record-breaking number of participants! Our REAL Role Models ran and walked alongside our outstanding group of participants who all successfully completed their courses.

My favourite part of the Girls’ Run this year was actually the pre-run group photos.

On each of the event days, we congregated at the start-line prior to beginning the run for a group warm-up and photo. Given our record-breaking number of participants, as well as amazing Role Models, it was a magical moment to see everyone coming together with excitement and anticipation! It was wonderful to see inspiring interactions between self-identified girls and women of all ages in the spirit of physical activity. The positive vibes continued throughout the run with an overwhelming amount of support in the air. At the end of the run, we heard from many participants who felt proud of their achievements. I hope to see many of the participants back next year (perhaps with a new friend or sibling to join in on the fun). I am also excited to see some Girls’ Run alumni continue to move onto the women’s run in years to come! Thank you to all participants, Role Models, staff members, volunteers and cheering squad (families and friends) who made this years’ event absolutely unforgettable!