Growing up in the States, it wasn't easy to connect with my Sri Lankan roots, even though my father was born and raised there. However, I was fortunate enough to travel to Sri Lanka almost every year. Travling to Sri Lanka made me realize how important it is to love my culture despite the challenges of living multiple oceans away. That's why I started Girls Run Sri Lanka! To mix the two things I love the most; running and my heritage.
When I was two, my family traveled to Baltimore for my father to run his first marathon. I didn't understand what was happening or why there were so many people cheering, but I did understand that my dad got a big, shiny gold medal for whatever he had just done. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by running. Fast forward a few years, and I start participating in Girls on the Run at age nine. I loved it so much I signed up the next season, and the one after that! In 6th grade, I find out I'm too old for another season, so I decide to join my middle school's track team after much uncertainty. After two years of running both track and field and cross country, I sign up to become the only junior coach at Girls on the Run. To this day, I still run JV cross country and track in high school, and am a coach at GOTR! This fall 2022, I'm even running my first half-marathon with my father. A full circle story!
As a young Asian girl in a predominantly white town, I always felt self-conscious. Whether it was about my skin tone, religion, or looks, I was nervous and scared to interact with my other peers because I was afraid they would be mean to me. I continued being scared until I joined my local Girl Scout Troop. I stayed in the same troop until 9th grade! There, I became confident and friends with people that I normally would have never talked to. Girl Scouts brought me out of my shell, and taught me to become confident and love myself. Now confident, I started participating in events I usually stayed on the sidelines of. One example is races! I first started running 1K's, then 3K's and 5K's, and now I'm running my first half-marathon! The medals above are a mix of my father's and mine, and I hope to add to the collection. Confidence is so important, and I want Girls Run Sri Lanka to inspire young girls to come out of their shells and embrace their full potential.
In light of the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka, we will be donating 50% of our proceeds to the Sri Lankan Red Cross to aid with relief efforts. We stand with the people of Sri Lanka and pray for our beautiful nation and its people.