© 2025
Start Guide
Marathon Kids, a non-profit since 1995, empowers youth of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds through a free, evidence-based, technology-supported running program.
Rooted in six core pillars, the program encourages goal-setting, builds confidence, and fosters community to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
The Girls Movement is a Marathon Kids initiative designed to empower girls in a fun, social environment, creating positive, active experiences they’ll carry with them.
Our free digital platform tracks laps, miles, and active minutes, making movement engaging, goal-driven, and easy to celebrate.
Active in all 50 states, we combat sedentary lifestyles by providing accessible, quality physical activity programs for kids everywhere.
The Girls
Movement Program
P R O G R A M G O A L S
The Girls Movement is dedicated to empowering girls through exclusive female running clubs and funded by The DICK’S Foundation’s Sports Matter Program.
The program provides girls the opportunity to experience running, conquer a goal, and challenge themselves as an individual. Through grit, determination, and the guidance of a coach, girls will go farther than they thought possible.
The atmosphere should be positive and encouraging, emphasizing personal growth and teamwork to conquer a goal. The coach plays a crucial role in providing a fun, rewarding experience.
Confidence
Building
Character Development
Cultivate Connection
Season Timeline
Preparation Phase
Launch
Active Club
Wrap Up
Consider these questions when planning the logistics:
Adding Participants
Marathon Kids offers three ways to add participants to your club in your account. Click the links below if you:
Already know
who will participate
If you don’t know
who will participate
Familiar with spreadsheets?
Easy to manually add or copy and paste a group of participants at once.
A Customizable recruitment page that allows coaches to create an online registration form tailored to their program and invites parents to monitor their child's progress through their account.
You will download our spreadsheet template, copy over your runners, and upload them in bulk.
Sample Run Club Agenda
Active Minutes
To Miles
For a run club, it's beneficial for the coach to establish consistent routines and procedures.
You can utilize this sample Run Club Agenda. These timelines are merely suggestions and can be modified to suit the schedule and requirements of your program.
Ultimately, you have the flexibility to determine the program’s logistics, so feel free to add your creativity and style!
Welcome and Warm-Up!
Run Time*
Cool Down
Lesson Time
*Note: Running and walking laps turn into miles, but minutes of heart-pumping activities count, too! As a coach, you decide if you want to count minutes of play toward miles! Feel free to add fun, active game time to change things up and keep interest high. Every 5 minutes = .25 miles.
Track the Effort
To track participants movement, scan their personalized ID cards after each lap or heart-pumping minute-based activity. The cards print from your account.
To scan, you need to download the free Marathon Kids Connect App on your device. This is the mobile scanner app.
You can also manually add laps or active minutes anytime through your coach account.
It’s a simple, flexible way to collect effort and keep your kids motivated!
*Note: Running and walking laps turn into miles, but minutes of heart-pumping activities count, too! As a coach, you decide if you want to count minutes of play toward miles! Feel free to add fun, active game time to change things up and keep interest high. Every 5 minutes = .25 miles.
Click to Learn More
Lessons
Girls Movement Program curriculum has 12 engaging lessons that align seamlessly with Marathon Kids' pillars and are centered on three goals: confidence, connection, and character building.
Each lesson contains the same five sections and come in PDF and slide format.
The lessons are designed flexibly, allowing coaches to adapt based on their unique time constraints, available space, and schedule.
The overarching goal stays consistent: to empower young girls on a transformative journey, nurture a positive mindset, build meaningful connections, and foster personal growth through the joy of running.
Get ready to inspire, motivate, and make a lasting impact on the lives of these incredible young participants!
Coach Objectives
Participant Outcomes
Team Building Activity
Social
Emotional Learning (SEL)
Pacing
Strategy
Additional Resources
These are just a few — the full Resource Library is available to you.
Lessons (Filter: Girls Movement)
Utilize our lessons to educate and inspire your participants. The lessons hit the three goals of the program; confidence, character and connection. They are geared towards 4th through 8th grade girls..
Team Building Activites (Filter: Girls Movement)
Help foster relationships through fun, interactive activities designed to help your girls work together, build communication skills, and cultivate connections.
Games and Activities (Filter: Games and Activities)
Our resources accommodate indoor or outdoor settings and can be adapted for small or large groups.
Warm-up and Cool-Down (Filter: Games and Activities)
Team warm-ups and cool-downs are essential for fostering unity and team building. Feel free to adapt or modify it according to your available indoor/outdoor space and established routine.
Pacing Strategies (Filter: Girls Movement)
Set session goals and challenges to boost confidence and achievement, and adjust pacing strategies to suit your running area.
* Each 20 minutes of activity equals 1 mile
Recruitment Talking Points to drive club enrollment, plus Join Us Flyers to advertise the club.
🏃♀️✨ Hey Girls! Want to Join the Girls Movement?
🎉 What is the Girls Movement?
It’s a fun club just for girls where we move our bodies, laugh with friends, and feel amazing doing it!
We walk, jog, run, and play games together—and we work as a team to crush a big goal!
💖 Why Should You Join?
🏃♀️ What Will We Do?
🚀 Why You’ll Love It:
🙋♀️ So… Who’s Ready to Move with Us?
It’s totally free, it’s super fun, and you belong here. Come join the Girls Movement—we can’t wait to see you smile, move, and shine! 🌟
WHAT: It’s a fun, girls-only club where we run, walk, play games, and cheer each other on — all while making friends and feeling strong!
WHO:
_____________________________________
TIME:
_____________________________________
WHEN:
_____________________________________
LOCATION:
_____________________________________
CONTACT
___________________
TO SIGN UP TODAY!
JOIN TODAY
Puntos clave para reclutar participantes y aumentar la inscripción al club, más volantes de "Únete a Nosotras" para promocionar el club.
🏃♀️✨ ¡Hola Chicas! ¿Quieren unirse al Movimiento de Chicas?
🎉 ¿Qué es el Movimiento de Chicas?�¡Es un club divertido solo para chicas donde movemos nuestros cuerpos, reímos con amigas y nos sentimos increíbles haciéndolo!� Caminamos, trotamos, corremos y jugamos juntas—¡y trabajamos en equipo para alcanzar una gran meta!
💖 ¿Por Qué Deberías Unirte?
� 💪 Gana Confianza – ¡Siéntete orgullosa de ti misma y de lo que tu cuerpo puede hacer!
👭 Sé Social – ¡Haz nuevas amigas, anímense entre todas y diviértete!
🎯 Alcancen una Gran Meta Juntas – ¡Vamos a contar nuestras vueltas e intentar llegar muy lejos como grupo!
🏃♀️ ¿Qué Vamos a Hacer?�
🚀 ¿Por Qué Te Va a Encantar?
� ¡Es solo para chicas, así que puedes ser tú misma!
Te vas a volver más fuerte sin darte cuenta.
Te vas a sentir orgullosa de lo que puedes lograr.
Vas a pertenecer a algo especial.
🙋♀️ Entonces… ¿Quién Está Lista Para Moverse con Nosotras?
� Es totalmente gratis, súper divertido, y tú perteneces aquí. ¡Ven y únete al Movimiento de Chicas—no podemos esperar para verte sonreír, moverte y brillar! 🌟
QUÉ ES?� ¡Es un club divertido solo para niñas donde corremos, caminamos, jugamos y nos animamos unas a otras — todo mientras hacemos amigas y nos sentimos fuertes!
¿QUIÉN?
_____________________________________
¿HORA?
_____________________________________
¿CUÁNDO?
_____________________________________
¿LUGAR?
____________________________
CONTACTO
___________________
¡PARA INSCRIBIRTE HOY!
ÚNETE HOY
Get Support
WE HAVE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
AND READY TO SUPPORT YOU!
Your leadership matters. Thank you for creating a space where girls can move, grow, and believe in themselves.
THANK YOU