Leader Girls Gone Gazelle Run Club 2022 is Leading the Way

By Mallory Cawthra

The 2nd year of the Girls Gone Gazelle (GGG) Run Club gets underway on May 6th in the Town of Leader. The All-Girls Running and Confidence Club is an eight-week program for female athletes, ranging in ages from 9 to 12 years old. The GGG Run Club is part of the Sole Sisters Women’s Race Series, originating from Nova Scotia and founded by running enthusiast and Head Coach/Race Director Stacy Chesnutt.

In 2021 during the pandemic, Coach Laura Henderson first brought the GGG Run Club to the Town of Leader. The program ran from the beginning of May until the end of June, and was comprised of 8 local female coaches and 21 female athletes, capping off with a successful 5-kilometre graduation event. Coach Laura explained that, “After running a few virtual races of Coach Stacy’s and learning of the Girls Gone Gazelle Running Club, I was focused. I was drawn to her drive and excitement and she had some shiny bling, which was the icing on the cake. I was very interested in how to bring this Club to our province, and more specifically, our small-town community. Not only do I have a passion for running, but being able to share my passion while introducing running to young female athletes was really exciting.”

The GGG website explains that the purpose of the program is to “give girls an opportunity to participate in a non-competitive running group that creates a love of physical activity. We believe that joining Girls Gone Gazelle Run Club will not only create memorable childhood experiences and life-long friendships, but also develop self confidence and effective stress management techniques while connecting with positive role models in the form of adult female runners and guest speakers.”

Coach Laura added that in 2021, “Many local individual sponsors and businesses came on board so we were able to provide water, snacks, and prizes for the Gazelle’s hard work and consistency. The community as a whole really came together to support the Gazelles.”

The registration deadline has passed for this year, with the 2022 Leader GGG Run Club having expanded to include 12 local female coaches and 37 female athletes. The athletes are organized into two age groups this year, with the 6-8 year olds training towards a three-kilometre graduation event, and the 9-12 year olds training towards a five-kilometre graduation event. Coach Laura explained that the GGG Run Club will meet for an hour every Friday to train, and additionally, the female athletes will be expected to complete two runs on their own time between meets.

Not only is Head Coach Stacy and Sole Sisters Women’s Race Series subsidizing the costs of the program this year, but Head Coach Stacy has already booked her flight to come to Leader and be a part of the Graduation Day Event on June 25th. Graduation Day is sure to be a fun and positively rewarding experience for the female athletes and everyone involved.

Photos from last years’ Girls Gone Gazelle. The coaching team is in yellow. Op photo is the Gazelle female athletes and coaches.