Program Overview

Thank You STRIVERS Community!

Dear STRIVERS Family,

After extensive thought and evaluation over the last year, I am writing to share the news that that the STRIVERS Running Club for Girls has concluded its final season.  The time is right to retire the program and for me to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who have endlessly supported and trusted us with your daughters. 

It has been an honor and joy to have shared my love of running and the numerous benefits running brings, from physical and mental health to long lasting friendships, with my community over the past 15 years.

STRIVERS Running Club for Girls has had the privilege of coaching over 1,000 girls. While many of our runners continued to run competitively in high school, and some in college, our highest level of gratification has come from watching our members increase their confidence and self-esteem through the simple act of running.

Our teams have met some of the best runners and role models including Uta Pippig, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Becca Pizzi.  They also met other athletes who shared their inspiring stories: Dara Torres, Noelle Lambert, and the late Travis Roy.

In addition to positively impacting the health and wellness of young girls, the STRIVERS program showcased the powerful impact runners can have on a community.

Since the program’s inception, STRIVERS donated hundreds of service hours and led numerous community outreach projects including food drives, back-pack collections, and town-wide clean ups in an effort to demonstrate the positive impact a group of runners can make on their community.

STRIVERS Running Club for Girls developed and hosted two local road races: the Annual Natick Jingle Bell Run and The STRIVERS Mother’s Day 5k that provided revenue back to the surrounding MetroWest Community totaling over $55,000.   

We are proud to have established The STRIVERS Inc. Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3). Our fund awards scholarships to former STRIVERS to help fund their continuing educational costs. Since its inception in 2019, The STRIVERS Inc. Scholarship Fund has awarded a total of $30,500 to twenty-one recipients. We look forward to awarding future scholarships for as long as our fiscal funding lasts.

I am beyond grateful to my coaches; first and foremost to Kathy Landry and Laura Lapolla for their endless dedication, contributions, professionalism and enthusiasm all these years. I would also like to sincerely thank Rachel Aronis, Cara Fitzpatrick, Jen Joyce, Annie Rolincik and Julie Doran.

Finally, it is my deepest hope that we have inspired your daughters to continue to make running part of their healthy lives.  It is impossible to overstate the powerful impact of the life lessons runnings provides, and how they can be beneficially applied to all areas of your daughters’ lives. 

You will continue to see me running on the local roads and I thank your girls for always keeping me inspired and motivated.

Always Striving,

Coach Colleen