There are girls who need YOU to help them unleash their power and potential. If you are considering coaching, ask yourself: What better gift can you give to the next generation than inspiring confidence and a strong sense of self?

• Almost 100% of girls said their Girls on the Run coaches care about them.
• 99% of coaches agreed that the coaching experience was valuable for them.
• 96% of coaches said they felt they formed positive relationships with the girls on their team.
• 94% of Girls on the Run coaches said they felt like they were making a difference in their girls’ lives.

No! Girls on the Run provides the training, curriculum and supplies needed to safely lead a team for a season! You simply need to be a motivating role model for your team. Many of our junior coaches and coaches participate in their first 5K alongside their team!

Yes! Junior coaches are placed according to their geographic location and their availability at sites that need additional coaches. 

Junior coaches will need to participate in one of the in-person new coach training sessions on either August 17 or 24 or September 7 or 8. The training sessions will take place at various locations and times throughout Greater Atlanta and the Athens area. A live stream will be available for those in North Georgia and CSRA.

A minimum of one coach per team must have CPR and First Aid certification on file by the first session of any given season and be present at every practice. This is something our council ensures. If you are planning to coach with friends or family members, this means one of you must be. It is not the expectation that junior coaches are CPR certified, but know a coach they work alongside will be.

No! We provide you with training, curriculum and supplies – everything needed to coach a safe, successful season! You should not incur any personal costs to provide the program to your team. As a Junior Coach, you will receive guidance from the team’s coaches, too. 

Coaches and junior coaches must attend 90-minute practices twice per week. To provide a consistent experience to participants, your commitment is crucial to prepare and collaborate with co-coaches to facilitate fun, successful lessons. Each season lasts 10 weeks and culminates with a team-led community project and celebratory 5K event.  

Teams may practice at designated parks, recreation and community centers and places of worship. The location and times are approved prior to participant registration each season. Practice times are typically set in the last afternoon/early evening hours (to accommodate participants after school). All teams practice on-site with the possibility of transitioning to virtual programming depending on public health directives.  

Junior coaches may indicate where they would like to coach. If there is not a preference, we will assign them to a location in need close to their geographical location. 

We try to assign only one Junior Coach per team, but that's not always the case! Each Girls on the Run team is led by two to three trained coaches, and sometimes a Junior Coach. If you would like to coach at an existing site with another applicant (such as a parent/guardian or family friend), please mention this in your application and we will do our best to accommodate you.

For safety reasons and for effective facilitation, the maximum team size is capped at 15. If a site would like to host more than one team, they will need to establish a separate group of coaches and meeting days/times. Please complete a separate site application for each team.

Our Girls on the Run program serves girls in 3rd – 5th grade and our Heart & Sole program serves girls in 6th – 8th grade. You may sign up to coach either of these programs.

We use a 20-lesson curriculum spread over the course of 12 weeks. With two lessons/week this structure allows for time off on school holidays and teacher work days.

Practices are 90 minutes long.