Trail Blazers: Bellingham’s Next Generation of Runners
How one after school program is changing motivations around exercise early on, helping kids race toward a healthier future
Story by Olivia Klein | Photos by Christa Yaranon
O n a chilly January afternoon on the banks of Lake Padden, a hoard of elementary school students spill out from a white minibus, skipping with glee down a grassy hill to a playground.
Their shouts are interrupted as their coach blows her whistle, corralling them over to a basketball court for a group activity. After some announcements, everyone joins together in a series of warm-up drills to loosen up after a long day of sitting. Once the stretching is finished, they divide up into three groups and take off jogging to a nearby trailhead that circumnavigates the lake.
These students are participants of an after-school program called Trail Blazers, hosted by the Bellingham YMCA. The group meets weekly to exercise and get some fresh air, starting a cycle of healthy habits that will become all the more important as they grow up. Research shows it can be beneficial to develop these habits early on in order to improve adult health.
Although it may seem like common knowledge to prioritize healthy exercise, research also shows that a considerable amount of the population is being left behind.
Along with factors such as age or socio-economic status that impact daily outdoor activity, one key demographic that stands out is gender.
Breaking Barriers and Building Habits
A 2018 study about physical activity habits that used data collected from 9,472 young adults found that women reported significantly less physical activity than their male counterparts.
So, why are they being left behind? And what is being done to turn the tides on female health?
In order to better understand this issue, it’s crucial to consider gender differences as they pertain to social motivations around exercise. What motivations do women have for exercise, and what influences them?
According to the Australian health campaign This Girl Can, 52% of women worry about being judged while exercising, and for over 40%, this feeling of embarrassment or intimidation is so strong they think it’s unlikely they will start at all.
“When you look at why people exercise in general, there are two ways to look at it in terms of motivation,” said Linda Keeler, a professor of exercise psychology at Western Washington University.
Keeler is a certified mental performance consultant who believes that exercise habits are deeply related to the motivation someone has for exercising in the first place.
“The number one reason that kids play sports is fun, so why are we not promoting exercise as fun?”
The first type of motivation, Keeler highlights, is externally focused, and rooted in how a participant believes they are viewed. Keeler says this motivation type is not conducive to the long-term development of healthy habits and holds less conviction than other kinds.
“A lot of people start because they want to do something like lose weight or look different,” Keeler said. “That motivation is not sustainable.”
Keeler references the external factors that pressure women to think about their bodies and how they are perceived by others. For some, that pressure manifests in severe symptoms like eating disorders or social physique anxiety. But Keeler says that these pressures often fall “hand in hand with physical activity,” leading women to simply refrain from participation in exercise at all.
The second kind of motivation Keeler describes is internally focused and much more sustainable in the long run.
“What we want is the autonomous motivation, the intrinsic motivation, the enjoyment,” Keeler said.
Although there is not a direct correlation between physical activity during childhood and a continuation of this activity throughout adulthood, Keeler says that one of the greatest predictors of whether someone will continue to exercise in the long-term is motivation type.
If a child exercises for the enjoyment of it, they are far more likely to develop a habit and stick with it.
“The number one reason that kids play sports is fun, so why are we not promoting exercise as fun?” Keeler said.
Research also shows that these feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem for girls start around puberty at age 12. This means that girls aged 8 through 11 are in a particularly crucial period of time when they’re receiving messaging about where to source their motivation for exercise.
Making a Local Impact
Seventeen years ago, outdoor enthusiast and mom, Jen Gallant moved to Bellingham. When her two daughters reached elementary school age, she felt strongly about signing them up for a program that promoted running and empowerment, but there wasn’t an option available. Instead of settling, Gallant joined forces with other parent volunteers and decided to become a coach so she could provide an after-school activity to fill this need.
Originally limited to girls, her small program was a chapter of the nationwide organization Girls on the Run. They joined the 210 participating cities in a curriculum where girls discuss topics of empowerment and train together for a culminating 5K race at the end of each season.
Soon, parents from other schools were asking about how they could be involved. As the scale increased, an administrative position for Girls on the Run opened up through the local YMCA. Gallant eagerly applied and was accepted.
“I felt like I’d struck gold, like this was my dream job,” Gallant said. “My degree was in psychology and a lot of my focus was on eating disorders and self-esteem, typically around the female experience.”
Three years later, Gallant decided to form another program for girls and boys that promoted the same positive messaging, available in the off-season for Girls on the Run. Trail Blazers was born.
“I started a running club and didn’t call it the Trail Blazers in those days,” Gallant said. “And I was just doing it with seven boys at one school, where they would come to the [YMCA], and we would drive them to trails after school.”
As the program gathered steam, Gallant was able to devote more time to Trail Blazers, hiring another staff member to focus on the administrative work for Girls on the Run.
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“What drew me in is what keeps me here with Trail Blazers. I love running. Running is my passion, especially trail running, and I feel like it’s just opened up so many doors for me.”
While Girls on the Run includes a full curriculum based on conversations about peer pressure and social justice, Gallant says that Trail Blazers is more of an outlet for kids to be wild and learn that exercise can be fun.
“I feel like kids don’t always have that opportunity anymore. They’re so structured now, and this seems to be working. It’s just about being outside in nature and running free — within limits,” she chuckled.
When the students return from their run, they are red-faced and beaming.
Nine-year-old Lucy Trowbridge arrives in the first wave, recognizable in her purple jacket, galaxy-print leggings and partially-dyed ponytail. She has participated in Trail Blazers for two seasons, meeting the bus after school on rainy days like this one.
While she plays other sports, Lucy says Trail Blazers is the one where she gets the most exercise in a given week. The program has encouraged her to start running outside of practice as well, doing 5K and 10K races with her family.
With her younger brother Mac, Lucy walks over to a drinking fountain and joins in a lively discussion about the variety of dogs they saw around the lake. But as more Trail Blazers arrive at the park, the group heads to the playground to cheer them on.
“I really like it because a lot of my friends I’ve met through Trail Blazers,” Lucy said. “And it’s super fun to be able to run with them.”
Lucy says that the program promotes many positive messages, but the most important is that anyone can be a runner.
“It doesn’t matter how fast or slow they are,” Lucy said. “It’s just a great way to get outdoors and run.”
Perhaps most significant was her response when asked if she hopes to stay active when she grows up and eventually leaves Trail Blazers behind:
“Definitely.”