"We're girls, we know it, and this is how we show it. Girls on the Run is so much fun! Whoo!"

On a downright chilly Saturday morning, 62 young athletes are staying steamy with a little girl power.

"After the race it'll probably be warm. How cold is it out here now though?Freezing. My toes are tingling! And they're jingling too! Yeah!"

From head......to toe, this group of 8-to-10-year-old girls has taken a 12-week journey leading up to the Jingle Bell Run.

"The running is usually incorporated into games so they really enjoy it and then we do different lessons on self-esteem, body image, eating healthy, making good decisions."

These 'Girls On the Run', are learning a lot more than how to complete a 5K race. They're breaking the ice; discussing unhealthy habits of some Hollywood stars and the pressure to be thin.

"Kids want to be like them and they try and go dieting which isn't healthy for you and it's just good to be yourself."

"It's kind of a crucial age for these girls when they're getting to a point where we often see the struggles of eating disorders and some negative choices and things like that so we want to catch them before that."

"Go! Shot, start of race."

Some of the girls are running their first race, others exercise everyday.

"Do sports and like running and swimming."

"I liked running since I was about second grade, third grade."

In the end, coaches behind the program hope the healthy habits stick with them on their journey through womanhood.

"We hope that they're realizing how great they are and they're not trying to conform to the standards we see in the media and things like that."

For more information on the group, you can visit the website...
girls on the run daneco.org