A Practice 5K is a chance for our program participants to get a taste of what the real end-of-season 5K will be like in a less crowded and more familiar environment. While we call these events a Practice 5K, most of them are just a little shorter than the 3.1 miles that will make up our run at the University of Memphis. Teams plan routes for their participants that stretch at least two miles and offer the girls a chance to determine their happy pace for those longer distances.
Coaches and Team Managers really rise to the occasion when it comes to making the Practice 5K feel extra special. One coach that is constantly upping her game when it comes to this integral program component is Jade Ray, Head Coach of the GOTR team at Shelby Farms Park. Jade has been coaching for Girls on the Run Memphis for five seasons now, and each season she aims to do something special for the Practice 5K. Last fall, she used the spooky season as inspiration, turning the 2.75 mile practice run for her team around the Promenade into a trick-or-treat extravaganza.
“This season’s Practice 5K theme will be a whimsical Easter Egg hunt around the lake,” Jade revealed when asked about her Practice 5K plans for this season. “At every 0.5-mile marker, the girls are greeted by a ‘bunny’ Junior Coach, each holding a basket of surprises. Within those baskets lie colorful eggs filled with sweet treats and nuggets of wisdom—a reminder of the lessons we’ve covered this season.”
While Girls on the Run is so much more than just a running club, our lessons do encourage program participants to set feasible goals each week that increase their level of physical activity. Every girl has a journal with a log for her lap goals–a record of how many circuits she plans to do around her team’s practice area, as well as the actualized amount of laps she completes each lesson. Every site’s space is a little different. For instance, twenty laps around the running area for Sharpe Elementary may be ten laps around the facility for PCAES Hickory Hill. For Shelby Farms Park, four loops around their practice area equals approximately one mile. By the time the girls move into Practice 5K season and are preparing to take on the Promenade trail, they have been steadily working up to walk, roll, or run longer distances.
“This simple structure [of setting incremental lap goals] becomes a foundation for growth, where each step brings them closer to their personal goal. To keep their energy and focus alive, we infuse every practice with an element of play and purpose, combining physical effort with joyful engagement,” Jade stated.
Jade also knows that the Practice 5K is more than just a warmup for the big event on May 4th–it’s a celebration all its own. Since the Practice 5K is just amongst the individual teams, it is really a chance for the girls to showcase how close they have gotten as a unit and celebrate the progress they have seen each other make throughout the season.
“As they navigate the trail, their laughter, determination, and camaraderie fill the air, making the journey itself as rewarding as the destination,” Jade commented. “By the time they cross the finish line, with no candy left, it's not just about completing the Practice 5K—it’s about realizing the strength and joy they carry within them.”
GOTR Memphis is extra fortunate thanks to our awesome donors and sponsors that we were able to give every team special blue ribbons and mini medals for their Practice 5Ks, so no matter what, each program participant will get to celebrate this accomplishment with a memento she can cherish forever. Of course, these medals–while stylish–are ready to be shown up by the bigger 5K medals at the finish line on May 4th!
To support Jade and the GOTR Girls at Shelby Farms–as well as our 150 program participants across the greater Memphis area this season–consider signing up to participate or volunteer at our 5K May 4th. This celebration of girl empowerment is just one way we celebrate a whole season’s worth of growth, development, and positivity. Visit gotrmemphis.org/5k to learn more.