Local Women Form 'Girls Who Don't Run' Running Club To Train For Memorial Marathon

With one week to go, a local women’s running group is in the final countdown of their training. But the catch is they’ve never run a race before.

“We are the ‘Girls Who Don't Run’ running club,” says Bailey Wilson, a member of Girls Who Don’t Run. “Kind of ironic, but we are a bunch of girls who have never ran before or trained for a race”

“When I started training for this I could barely run three miles,” said Carolyne Williams.

While she can run a lot farther than that today, she says she’s gained so much more from the Girls Who Don’t Run.

“Coming together with a group of women who are passionate about nourishing ourselves not only physically but spiritually and mentally,” she says. “That has meant more than I ever could've imagined.”

The group of women came from all walks of life and all different paths and were brought together by the desire to run.

“It's really cool to get to talk about what's going on in our lives and grow in community,” says Wilson.

She says that’s what kept her going.

“It's very empowering getting to do this with other women and build each other up and encourage each other through the hard times,” says Wilson.

But the running club isn’t the only thing pushing them towards the finish line.

“And my mom was 4 1/2 months pregnant with me when the bombing happened, so she named me after Baylee Almon,” says Wilson. “Being able to run for a passion is just so powerful and puts it into a whole new perspective.”

“This marathon means a lot to our family,” says Williams.

Carolyne’s father-in-law is OKC Battalion Chief Shane Williams, a first responder from the Murrah Federal Building bombing.

“Hearing those stories and looking at where our city is now it's so powerful to see,” she says.

The Girls Who Don’t Run say their friendships have surpassed running.

“This community has been such an unexpected blessing in my life,” says Williams. “We knew this was going to be really hard physically but to be honest I think it’s the emotional connection and the friendships we've created that will carry us through.”