Eyewitness News Anchor Sam Ryan was among the volunteers in Central Park Thursday morning.
She was teamed up with Dorothy, a tenth grader from Queens, for a practice 5K.
"She was so excited to run this distance," Ryan said. "She did great. She was sneaky fast."
It's part of NYRR's "Run for the Future" program, where girls in high school work up the confidence and endurance to tackle a distant race.
This cohort has its eyes set on the "Percy Sutton 5K" in just a couple of weeks.
Nnenna Lynch, the chair of NYRR Board of Directors, said many of the girls who ran never ran before until four weeks ago when they entered the program.
"These girls discovered that they can set a goal that's a little bit scary, and with the support of amazing coaches, they can achieve it," Lynch told Ryan.
Watch more in the video player above.