Bolingbrook Elementary School Holds Make-Up Event for 45 Girls Denied Participation in 5K

Forty-five Oak View Elementary School girls were denied their chance to participate in the Girls on the Run 5K at Toyota Park last weekend. 

They got their chance to run 3.1 miles Tuesday on their last full day of school. 

Girls on the Run is a non-profit whose mission "is to inspire girls to be healthy and confident" through an after-school extra-curricular curriculum which "creatively integrates running, the innovative program combines training for a 5k event with interactive lessons that encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development." 

But poor planning by GOTR meant that 45 Oak View girls sat on a bus stuck on Harlem Avenue for three hours Saturday while the 5K took place. 

"We watched as the other girls began the race, and then finished, while our girls sat on the bus 3 miles away," Oak View GOTR Head Coach Jamie Crouch wrote in an e-mail to GOTR. 

Oak View celebrated the accomplishments of its GOTR participants Tuesday with pizza donated from Mayor Roger Claar, goody bags donated from American Girl and more gifts donated from Claire’s Boutique.

GOTR "deeply regrets the many failure that led to the girls, coaches, running buddies and family members who were unable to run in the 5K on Saturday," according to a statement on its website. 

The non-profit plans to refund all race fees and offer another race experiences for those who missed out.