'Girls on the Run' 5K Sunday Attracts 3,000 Runners

About 3,000 girls and their adults mentors are expected to participate in the Girls on the Run 5K race Sunday in the Manassas area.

Registration for the race begins at 6:45 a.m. at the Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater, just outside of Manassas in Bristow about six miles from Manassas Park.

Participating women and girls will gather under their schools' corral color at 7:45 a.m. and the race will commence at 8:30, according to the group's website.

The purpose of the Girls on the Run afterschool athletic program is to empower and build the self-esteem of young girls in third through fifth grades through running.

There is a second program, called Girls on Track, for young ladies in the sixth through eighth grade, according to the group website. 

Through running, the coaches work with the girls to address and improve their physical and emotional health while training for the semi-annual 5K runs—one in the fall and one in the spring.

Sections of University Boulevard and Wellington Road will close between 7:45 and 10 a.m. for Saturday's fall run, said Art Klos, permit manager at the Virginia Department of Transportation. 

Here is an outline of the exact road closures and the alternate routes:

Closed Road: Both directions of Wellington Road between University Boulevard and Piney Branch Lane near the Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater. 

Detour route: Devlin Road to Linton Hall Road to Wellington Road

Closed Road: Both directions of University Boulevard between Route 29, Lee Highway and Wellington Road 

Detour route:Lee Highway to Linton Hall Road to Wellington Road

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