Photo by Joselyn King Members of “Girls on Fire,” a running club at Wheeling Middle School, gather before running the 5k race at the Ogden Newspapers Half-Marathon Classic on Saturday.

WHEELING – The idea of health, fitness and running is igniting “Girls On Fire,” a group of girls attending Wheeling Middle School.

The girls have formed a club, which turned out to run the 5K race presented by Bordas & Bordas on Saturday during the annual Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine.

Sicily DiMeglio, a seventh-grade student, explained she got into running “just for fun.”

Classmate Meiah Miller echoed the sentiment.

“I just thought it was fun, and it keeps my body in shape,” she said.

Miller noted she really wasn’t hungry Saturday morning, and she declined when coaches offered her a granola bar.

“I didn’t eat anything else. I forgot,” she said.

The girls practice running every Wednesday and run for a mile.

Coach Jody Dean offered her encouragement to the girls.

“I want them to feel they can accomplish anything they put their minds to,” she said. “It’s important to obtain the goal you set for yourself, and obtain the pride and all the feelings that come with it.”

Dean said she likes to stay in condition to run, but she didn’t participate in the race.

“I really don’t run anymore,” she said.

There are 18 girls in the club, and they are given a choice as to which local 5K race they want to run. Ten of the girls participated in the 5K on Saturday.