TAG in Action: Girls on the Run 

As part of its national call to action, Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG), the Office 

of Adolescent Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified a 

number of successful strategies for improving adolescent health throughout the country.

The Goal Girls on the Run is a positive youth development program designed to enhance girls’ 

social, psychological, and physical skills and behaviors. 

The Game 

Plan

Girls on the Run uses running and other physical activities as a platform for teaching life 

skills and promoting holistic health outcomes. Girls on the Run began in 1996 in Charlotte, 

North Carolina with thirteen girls. Today, approximately 53,000 volunteer coaches help to

serve more than 200,000 girls each year across the Unites States and internationally. 

Girls on the Run offers two 10-week programs, one for girls in 3rd to 5th grade (Girls on the 

Run) and another specifically designed for middle schoolers (Heart & Sole). Each 10-week 

curriculum addresses themes girls can relate to and includes lessons that target 

competence, confidence, caring, character, connection and contribution. The volunteer 

coaches participate in a National Coach Training Program which prepares them to build 

relationships with and between the girls, create a positive, inclusive environment, support 

individual improvement and deliver the intentional curriculum. During the program, girls

learn specific skills and strategies on topics such as managing emotions and resolving 

conflict, and discuss how the skills can be applied at home, school, and with friends. Girls 

also have the opportunity to give back to their communities in meaningful ways. The 

programs conclude with a celebratory 5k event that gives the girls a tangible sense of 

achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving goals. 

In 2016, Dr. Weiss from the University of Minnesota conducted a rigorous, independent 

study on the Girls on the Run program. The study compared Girls on the Run participants 

with girls involved in physical education or organized sports programs. The study concluded 

that Girls on the Run has a stronger impact in the areas that the curriculum intentionally 

addresses including managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others and making 

intentional decisions.

The 

Winning 

Ways

Allie Riley, the Senior Vice President of Programming and Evaluation, shared that “We know 

that adolescents bring a lot to the table. We help the girls to recognize their inner strength 

and celebrate what makes them unique. The program accomplishes this by combining

physical activity with a very intentional approach to teaching social and emotional skills. We 

provide girls with a relevant and safe environment where they can learn and practice team 

work, conflict resolution, emotion management, healthy relationship skills and more. They

explore how they can positively shape the world around them. And when they cross the 

finish line of the 5k, they see that anything is possible!”

Learn 

More

Girls on the Run

https://www.girlsontherun.org

HHS Office of Adolescent Health | Website: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/TAG Twitter: @TeenHealthGov Email: TAGTEAM@hhs.gov