Young Runners, Buddies Practice For Upcoming 5K At Mahwah Track

MAHWAH, N.J. — Young runners and their running buddies donned their costumes to lap the track around Mahwah's Continental Soldier Field nine times Halloween morning.

Runners walk to the starting line.
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

Young runners and their buddies line up at the starting line at Continental Soldier Field in Mahwah.
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

Ramsey coaches catch their breath after the Halloween race.
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

Girls on the Run athletes and their buddies lap the track at 8 a.m.
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

All bundled up for the run!
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

On to lap number 3!
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

Finishers revel in their finishing times marked on their hands.
Photo Credit: *GOTR*

Cecilia Levine

10/31/2015 1:00 p.m.

The race was in preparation for Girls on the Run North Jersey's 5K race next week, which the girls — and their buddies — have been working toward since early September.

Girls on the Run is a national nonprofit organization that helps elementary and middle schools girls boost their confidence on and off the track.

Coaches this year implemented a new program for middle school students called "Heart and Sole." The program is designed to help girls "develop the skills to tune into their own truths and to unleash their power to live confidently and joyfully," the website says (SEE: Ramsey Running Coach Motivates Adolescent Athletes).

Ramsey's Heart and Sole team set up a bake sale at the race to raise money for a cousin of the athletes who is battling ovarian cancer at 16-years-old.

Bergen County's GOTR teams include Cresskill, Englewood, Ramsey/Mahwah, Ridgewood, Glen Rock and Saddle River.

Send any photos from the race to clevine@dailyvoice.com. Check back for more throughout the weekend.

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