Brooke Curran Story-3

Bravo Brooke!
“Running has never been
so rewarding.”
Seeing Brooke Curran, marathon extraordinaire, cross the finish line at the fall Girls on
the Run 5K, it is hard to believe that at one point her passion for running was beginning
to fade.
“For most of those years [running marathons,] it was about me,” said Curran.
“Ironically, the better runner I became, the less running meant to me.”
She was not about to continue to train lacklusterly for goal times, or give up the sport
altogether. Instead, she tried a different approach: running for others.
Curran has run over 43 marathons (including at least one on all 7 continents,) raising
over $110,000 for beneficiaries of her RunningBrooke Fund in her hometown of
Alexandria, Virginia. One of those beneficiaries is Girls on the Run of Northern
Virginia, for which she has served as both a Buddy Runner and a donor of $13,750.
“Running has never been so rewarding,” said Curran.
Curran is one of many who have found that volunteering as a GOTR Buddy Runner
cannot only be gratifying for the girls, but for him or her as well. Those who are
interesting in helping need not donate thousands of dollars like Curran, however, to
have an impact. Simply running along side a girl for 3.1 miles can be crucial.
Each GOTR girl has a Buddy- usually a mom, dad, sister, coach, or teacher who provide
support and encouragement. Unfortunately, not every girl has someone in her life that
can run a 5K. To ensure that every girl is able to have a Buddy Runner, members of the
community can volunteer as a Road Runner. After receiving a background check, the
Road Runner can run with a girl as a Buddy, with the 5K fee waived.
“An integral part of the GOTR 5K experience are Buddy Runners,” said Catherine
Keightley, Executive Director of Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia. “Buddy Runners
ensure the safety of the girls during the 5K, help the girls achieve their goal, and make
sure every girl’s 5K experience is the best it can be.”
One of the main focuses of GOTR is for the girls to learn how to set and achieve their
goals. If mid-race, a girl hits the 2-mile wall, and begins to lose faith; her Buddy
Runner will pump her up, helping her to maintain focus. A few words of
encouragement can have an enormous impact.
Buddy Runners also tie into another important aspect of the program. GOTR fuses
together mental, physical and social health to promote girls to be happy and confident.
By providing someone to laugh and chat with, Buddy Runners add that social element.
“It’s fun to have someone to talk to and run with,” said one of the girls after the fall 5K.
The day of the race, Buddy Runners make sure the girls make it to the start, and help
to navigate through the course. Some of the Buddies match their girls’ race attire,
some hold their hands, but all are visibly happy to be at the event with their girls.
“Whenever I see the Buddy Runners at our 5Ks, I am reminded that the program
doesn’t just impact the girls,” said Keightley. “It also impacts their families and the
communities.”
Whether the girls are tackling issues during practice or gearing up for a race, GOTR
creates positive role models where girls and volunteers can thrive. “I love what Girls on
the Run is doing and who they are reaching. Parents see what their daughters are
doing, and they get involved and start running too,” said Curran.
Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia
10560 Main Street, Suite 514, Fairfax VA 22030
703.273.3153 ★ [email protected]
www.gotrnova.org