As most adults may remember, being a teenager can be tough, but the St. Louis chapter of Girls on the Run is working to train girls in their teens to endure some of life's greatest challenges.

The nonprofit organization combines training for a 5K race with education on the most pressing issues facing teenage girls, such as learning self-confidence and self-respect, dealing with gossip and bullies, and developing healthy eating habits.

"Our mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living," Girls on the Run Program Director Katie Helbig said.

It's a mission that this year reached 170 schools in the St. Louis region, including Gotsch Intermediate School in the Affton School District. Helbig said it was the school's first lap with the program, but it was met with enthusiasm and support from teachers and parents.

Girls on the Run conducts two, 10-week sessions for girls in grades 3-8 each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The students met twice a week after school. Their experience culminated in a 5K race, a distance of a little more than 3 miles. The program's curriculum, however, is much more than just running circles around a track.

In addition to the workouts, Helbig said trained volunteers serve as coaches and use interactive games to stimulate physical activity, while also leading discussions on topics relevant to teenage girls. It's an approach that she said has one goal in mind—giving girls the confidence to love themselves in their own skin.

"I think society has added a lot of pressure to young girls and young women," Helbig said. "I think a lot of what they focus on are unhealthy messages, what we would like to do is reverse that."

The program also shows girls how rewarding setting goals and following through on them can be while encouraging them to develop exercise habits. It does this by taking an initially daunting challenge—running several miles—and helping them overcome it.

Helbig said the feeling girls get from seeing their hard work turn into achievement is amazing and empowering.

"We want girls to say when they cross that finish line, 'I finished this 5k, I can do anything.' And we do hear that," she said.

Girls on the Run came to St. Louis in 2002 when the chapter's executive director Jill Indovino read an article about the program in the magazine Runner's World. Twenty girls participated that first year, but the organization immediately picked up the pace with more than 5,000 girls expected to take part in 2011.

Helbig attributed the growth to the reaction people such as herself have when they hear about the program.

"I thought it was something I wished I had had when I was a teenager," she said.

So Helbig decided to get involved herself, serving as a volunteer coach in 2007. She then become involved on the board, eventually landing a full-time job with the organization. It's an exciting thing to be a part of, she said.

"We are going to change these girls' perspective, one girl at a time," she said.