Saturday, May 31, brought approximately 1,600 girls out to the Girls on the Run event in North Canton, according to a news report from the same day.
This year's 5K Run/Walk, organized and sponsored by Girls on the Run, is the fifth annual outing. The non-profit seeks to encourage self-confidence in approximately 600 area girls, in third through eighth grades, by helping them become healthier and more physically fit.
The day was sunny and warm, and the runners turned up in all kinds of outfits, including capes and tutus. Steve Marrero, a Jackson Township resident, wore a cap and multi-colored tutu as he ran with his daughter Olivia. The only man in the race, Marrero won the honor of being the ‘SoleMale’ via an online auction held to give one man the chance to be an official race participant. He put on the tutu and colored his hair in bright rainbow colors to show his support for Olivia, 10, who was participating in her first Girls on the Run event.
Girls on the Run has won high praise from the National Institutes for Health, which reported that participants in the event improved their self-esteem, satisfaction with their size, and changed attitudes and behaviors about eating.
Organizers of events like Girls on the Run often work with a banner printing company to develop flags to celebrate and publicize the event.
