Running has been a way of life for Vanessa Fraser for years. The Scotts Valley High School sophomore is on the school's track and cross-country team, but it was when she was in grade school that the sport first made an impact on her life.

And now, Fraser, along with three other local runners, is bringing the very program that helped her discover her love for running to the area for Scotts Valley girls.

Girls on the Run (GOTR) is an innovative running program started in North Carolina in 1996 that "uses the power of running to help girls in third through fifth grade develop self respect and value a healthy lifestyle."

"It sparked my love and passion for distance running," Fraser said of the program she participated in when she was younger.

The nonprofit GOTR has spread to more than 150 cities in the U.S. and trains girls ages 8 to 13 to run a 5k race while teaching them important life lessons.

"I want to be able to see girls enjoying it as much as I did and I want it to be something that's successful and can keep happening year after year here in our community," Fraser said. "I just hope that we can make it as fun and as good of a learning experience as it was for me, and if we can do that, then I am sure we'll be successful."

In 2002, Kathleen Nestler started GOTR Silicon Valley, with chapters in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. This year, more than 1,000 girls are expected to participate at 50 sites in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, with Scotts Valley being the newest location.

It was Fraser who first had the idea to bring GOTR to Scotts Valley. She approached Nestler, who had coached her in Los Gatos when she was a participant, and asked her for advice on how to get started. Since she is underage, Fraser found local women who are also runners to act as coaches. Scotts Valley residents Robin Brooke and Gretchen Schmidt will serve as head coaches, and Denise Tinkess will join them as an assistant coach.

To get things started, the group made several site visits throughout the city to assess the suitability of locations. They agreed on Baymonte Christian School as the location for practices, which will be held two days a week for an hour and 15 minutes. Up to 30 girls will make up the Scotts Valley team, coached by the Fraser, Brooke, Schmidt and Tinkess, who must go through a coaches' training and rigorous background check. 

When the girls begin practice on Feb. 28, 2011, they will follow a curriculum that covers self-esteem and body issues. Girls will also learn how to be assertive, stand up for themselves and face peer pressure.

"It really helps embrace who they are without outside peer pressure," Brooke said.

With most girls in the program facing middle school, GOTR Scotts Valley will also help them prepare for what lies ahead.

"It really prepared me for the rigors of middle school and high school," Fraser said. "It really taught me to be assertive and stand up for myself and what I believe in."

In addition to teaching girls in Scotts Valley important life lessons, GOTR will play a pivotal role in fostering a love for being physically fit and living a healthy lifestyle.

For Fraser, running is a way to escape the chaos of being a student, an assistant coach and an athlete.

"It makes me feel really relaxed and it helps me just get away from the rest of my life and be carefree for a while," Fraser said.

Brooke says she also developed a passion for running at an early age. Her father was a runner, and at age 15, she also began to run, seeing it as a healthy activity that can be done anywhere, at any time, at any pace.

"It helps me be a better mom, a better wife, a better person, and I can do it wherever, whenever I want," she said.

Scotts Valley GOTR is a 10-week program that will culminate in a race for the girls.

"The goal is for these girls to be trained and ready to run or walk a 5k event with the team," Brooke said.

And all of the girls will be wearing the number one when they race so they know that they are not running against one another, but for themselves.

Registration for Scotts Valley Girls on the Run is under way. The cost is $200, and scholarships are available to girls in need. Registration includes 10 weeks of training, race registration and a GOTR T-shirt. To register, visit girlsontherun-sv.org.