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No! Girls on the Run provides the training, curriculum and supplies needed to safely lead a team for a season! You simply need to be a motivating role model for your team. Many of our coaches participate in their first 5K alongside their team!

No problem - all training and materials are provided and we would love to have you involved! NEW coaches (who have never coached for our GOTR council before) should apply here. 

No, we welcome coaches of all gender identities! 

A minimum of one coach per team must have CPR and First Aid certification on file by the first session of any given season and be present at every practice.

Yes! Community coaches are individuals not directly affiliated with a school or community location who support the Girls on the Run mission. Community coaches are placed according to their geographic location and their availability at sites that need additional coaches.

No! We provide you with training, curriculum and supplies – everything needed to coach a safe, successful season! You should not incur any personal costs to provide the program to your team.

Our council provides each program location with the curriculum and supplies needed to facilitate the season. We will contact coaches to arrange pick-up for their team’s materials.  

Hooray and welcome back! If you have coached with GOTR Minnesota and previously completed new coach training in Minnesota, RETURNING coaches can submit this application (currently closed).

Coaches must attend and lead 75 to 90-minute practices twice per week for 10 weeks. To provide a consistent experience to participants, your commitment is crucial to prepare and collaborate with co-coaches to facilitate fun, successful lessons. Each season culminates with a team-led community project and celebratory 5K event. Every NEW GOTR coach is required to attend a 2-hour in-person coach training to be present at GOTR practices. If you are unable to commit to the required training, please plan to apply for a future season.

We provide various training dates and locations through the metro area, Duluth and Rochester. Training options can be found within the coach application. 

Every NEW GOTR coach is required to attend a 4-hour in-person coach training to be present at GOTR practices. If you are unable to commit to the required training, please plan to apply for a future season.

Training is a blended model, with on demand (completely online on your own time!) and an interactive in-person component. There will be several coach training sessions to choose from for both new and returning coaches. You'll select the session you will be attending within your coach application form. *Available until full; space is limited, register early.

In addition to the two to three coaches who are 18 years of age or older, some teams may also have a Junior Coach assigned. Junior Coaches are high school volunteers between the ages 16-18 who complete an application and training. They are role models and developing leaders who support the adult coaches and mentor the team. 

Teams may practice at designated parks, recreation and community centers, homes and schools. The location and times are approved prior to participant registration each season. Practice times are typically set in the late afternoon/early evening hours (to accommodate participants after school). 

Absolutely! Coaches can indicate a preference for a site at which they'd like to coach when they register. Coaching teams are limited to six coaches. If you are flexible with your assignment, you can select that in the site drop-down and note your time/location restrictions. If the preferred site has reached coach capacity (no longer available when registering), we'd be happy to find another site within the area that would work. If coaches do not have a site preference, we will assign them to a site in need of volunteers. We are actively working to place mentors with girls who share their lived experiences. If you are Black, Indigeneous or a person of color (BIPOC) and would prefer to be placed with a team that is predominately BIPOC, you can indicate that in your application as well. 

You're right! Many of our sites are waiting to hear more about school plans and other commitments before they finalize practice days/times. If you have specific availability notes we should be aware of when assigning coaching, please indicate them in your coach application and we'll do our best to accommodate your preferences. Thank you!

Absolutely! The more, the merrier! Each Girls on the Run team is led by two to three trained coaches, and sometimes a Junior Coach. If you would like to coach at an existing site with another applicant, please mention this in your application and we will do our best to accommodate you.

You! GOTR is dedicated to training volunteers to understand social context, create positive inclusive environments, and build genuine relationships. We strive for our volunteers to represent the diverse and vibrant communities we work with. We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds, ages and abilities, including Black, African, Asian, Indigenous, Latinx, folks with various speech, physical and learning abilities, and LGBTQ-identified folks. We welcome coaches of all gender identities, including non-binary, gender fluid and gender-expansive volunteers.

Each team will receive all necessary materials to cover the full season as well as funds to purchase healthy snacks for the team; you can be a successful coach without spending a dime! 

Nope! Every team has 3-6 GOTR-trained coaches that work together to lead their team of girls through the season.  

We would love to hear from you! Feel free to contact our program team at program@gotrmn.org with coaching questions.