Empowering The Mind and Body: New Resource Program For Girls Off And Running - Sport Oregon Voices

Sport Oregon Voices:

Wildwood Running addresses needs beyond the x’s and o’s for girls runners, partners with Strong Runner Chicks on new mentorship program

Portland prep running coaches Robyn McGillis and Marie Davis Markham had known each other for a numbers of years, familiar through mutual friends and the area high school coaching community.

But in early 2020, their acquaintance became more focused through an aha realization that quickly morphed into a common mission, as they identified a glaring area of need in the development of young female runners. The pair had attended many camps and presentations over the years that mostly covered the basic physical aspects of training young female runners.

But, there was little in the way of practical programs out there to adequately equip coaches with the resources necessary to address the important challenges girls were facing beyond the x’s and o’s of running. Not nearly enough of the focus was being placed on mental and emotional health, nutrition, confidence-building, body transitions and body image, and the physical plateau they encounter later in high school.

“We had been to all these coaching clinics, but there’s nothing that really provides a toolkit for coaches around topics specific to female athletes,” said McGillis. “But we know there’s a lot of information out there. Could we bring these stories and experts together to provide a toolkit for coaches, and then ultimately have that evolve into the ability to directly impact the kids?”

Once meeting to further discuss this proposition, the two quickly determined there indeed was a path, and set out to create just that.

Markham, a cross country and track coach at Lincoln High School, and McGillis, the head coach for the girls’ cross country team and track coach at Central Catholic High School, formed Wildwood Running, whose mission is to empower female runners in mind and body, emphasizing leadership, confidence, relationships and resiliency through its new community. Both have highly accomplished resumes in the sport, with Markham as a standout runner at the University of Oregon and McGillis at the University of California – San Diego.

Through their vast experience in the sport, they have witnessed, time and time again, the steady drop-off in participation from female runners later in high school, typically during their junior and senior years. McGillis and Markham want high school girls, especially, to understand their continued value to the sport and realize the confidence they need when they no longer are setting new personal records as their bodies change. Their goal is to facilitate a more empowered and enlightened journey for these young women by addressing their emotional and physiological needs.

Wildwood recently concluded its first virtual camp held over three weekends in January, bringing together close to 350 girls from some 32 different states. The camp covered topics like nutrition, mental health, physical health, leadership and visualization, not really focusing on the act of running, itself, but addressing the many complex components behind it. It featured several presenters and elite athletes, with girls also dividing up into much smaller breakout rooms to digest the information and have a more intimate space to discuss their learnings and talk to girls from other parts of the country. 

A key component of Wildwood’s offerings is a one-on-one mentorship program, developed through a partnership with Strong Runner Chicks and its founder, Megan Flanagan. The mentoring program proved to be the perfect union between the like-minded communities, and further advanced the mission of both.

“When I came across Robyn and Marie, I was really amazed by the work they were doing already as coaches in the space of empowering, connecting and educating female athletes, which is ultimately our goal at Strong Runner Chicks as well,” said Flanagan. “So it’s really a shared mission in a different way.”

Though Strong Runner Chicks typically caters to a community of adult female runners, Flanagan says the women she works with have gone through many of the same stages and challenges the younger runners are facing, and serve as a valuable resource as mentors.

Flanagan, a former collegiate runner at the University of Minnesota who stays busy as a wellness consultant and personal trainer, also hosts a regular podcast for women-identifying distance runners on SRC Radio.

Now that the first Wildwood Running camp is complete, the focus is on spreading awareness and getting new middle school and high school mentees involved. For $100 for six months, each mentee is matched with an individual mentor and has access to one educational workshop per month.

“The goal is that they can create a relationship together, so that the young high school or middle school girl has someone to talk to who’s different than her parents, or her coach, or her teammates,” said Markham. “It’s just someone who can be in their corner and be another person to support them.”

There are also plans for a second camp to be held this summer to coincide with the Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. And in the meantime, the group remains hard at work to further develop the program and continue connecting new mentees with the many experienced mentors available.

Initially, Markham and McGillis got Wildwood off the ground through their own network of coaches and runners. Now, their focus is on casting an even wider net, already seeing a substantial broadening of interest through the first camp. A particular emphasis to their model, too, has been to keep the program affordable, with Wildwood also offering scholarships.

The ultimate aim is to ensure as many girls can benefit from the information and relationships as possible, to grow as an athlete and as a female.

Wildwood/Strong Runner Chicks Mentorship Program Registration

Additional details on the Wildwood/Strong Runner Chicks Mentorship Program and registration form are available here.

Strong Runner Chicks Radio Podcast

More than 150 episodes of SRC Radio are available here.