BRATTLEBORO — In 2013, ultra-marathoner Nikki Kimball took on the 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont. The quest was simple: Run the fastest. Send a message: Women are equal in professional sports.
On three evenings in October, Rutland-area native and award winning athlete Kimball will bring her message to audiences in three cities around Vermont.
Girls on the Run Vermont, the statewide program empowering young girls to develop physical, social and emotional well-being, is hosting Finding Traction, the story of Kimball's groundbreaking journey through the Green Mountains.
Produced and directed by independent filmmaker Jaime Jacobsen, the award-winning Finding Traction will be shown in Brattleboro on Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at 118 Elliot St. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for 18 and under. They are available at the door or at girlsontherun.org.
The film will also be shown Oct. 2 in Rutland and Oct. 3 in Williston. Kimball will appear at each screening to talk about her Long Trail ultra-run, and the drive and determination she found to push herself to do her physical and mental best.
Ultra-running is running any distance longer than the standard marathon of 26.22 miles. Kimball has won multiple 100-mile and endurance races. She has won races on mountain, trail, and road, as well as on cross-country skis and snowshoes.
“We are grateful to Nikki for her support of Girls on the Run Vermont, by allowing us to present her film,” said Nancy Heydinger, executive director of Girls on the Run Vermont, in a news release. “Nikki's character and strength in setting goals and chasing her dreams embodies the positive spirit we teach young girls. She is an amazing role model for them.”
Heydinger created the Vermont chapter of Girls on the Run in 1999. Its 12-week curriculum offers strategies for dealing with everything from body image and bullying to peer pressure, media messages, and social media, in healthy, active, and positive ways.
During the 2015 season, Girls on the Run Vermont served more than 3,100 girls in 148 schools across Vermont.