Molly Barker began running with her mother when she was 14 years old, when her mother was newly sober. Years later, it was on a run in 1993 when Molly herself realized she needed to stop drinking or it would kill her. That run inspired her to create a program for young girls to accept who they are, with grace and pride, and celebrate themselves. She launched Girls on
the Run in 1996 at a site in North Carolina with 13 girls; it quickly grew and now has sites in all 50 states and in Canada. Molly left the organization in 2013 and now calls herself a "grandmother" to the organization (she also has two kids and one grandchild). In addition, she's written several books, including Girls on Track: A Parent's Guide to Inspiring Our
Daughters to Achieve a Lifetime of Self-Respect and Healthy Living, which helped bring the
Girls on the Run program into the home.