HELENA — The Just for the Helena of It marathon will take place this October 20 for its 3rd year. The race offers a 5K, 10K, and half marathon.
The USATF-certified race fundraises for Helena area nonprofits. For the past 2 years, they’ve given proceeds to The Friendship Center, a community resource center for addressing and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This year, after operating costs, 90% of all proceeds will go to The Friendship Center. The other 10% will be given to a new beneficiary, Girls Thrive, a program that works to inspire girls to empower themselves through physical activities and educational lessons.
The first year they gave $17,000 to the Friendship Center and $24,000 the second year.
Blair Haseman, Executive Director of Girls Thrive says this money will go towards programming needs. Generally, it costs $10,000 for a full 8-week Girls Thrive session.
“So, kids are our future. Young girls are really struggling right now, mental health, they're struggling with their physical health. They need all sorts of support. They need these community groups to help build them up, help them grow in strength, confidence, and community. And that's exactly what Girls Thrive is doing through providing this program,” says Haseman.
Organizers of the race encourage participants to register before October 1st to guarantee a race shirt, but runners can still register up to and on the day of the race.
