About Go Run Missoula
GRM is a non-competitive running and strength training program for 3rd – 8th grade identifying girls. Activities include participation in community races, trail runs, obstacle courses, games, yoga, weightlifting, as well as community service and life skills workshops.
Mission & Vision
GRM cultivates leadership skills and fosters an appreciation for physical activity in female and non-binary Western Montana youth through running and education.
We envision a community where youth confidently navigate peer pressure, achieve challenging goals, stay active, and contribute to their community.
Go Run Missoula's Founder & Director
Angela Bridegam
Angela has over 15 years of experience working with children and families and is committed to creating opportunities for girls and women. Her formal education, paired with over a decade in nonprofit management, prepared her to start Go Run Missoula.
A lifelong runner and mother of three strong and spirited girls, Angela understands how physical activity can support girls in processing the challenges they confront.
Angela has a Bachelor’s in Public Health and a Master’s in Public Administration. She is also a certified Brand X Method Youth Strength Training coach and NFHS Youth Cross-Country Running coach. In her spare time, Angela loves to cook, garden, ski, camp, start home renovation projects, and spend time with her family outdoors.
Macrae Peeplesshe/her
Sarah Knutsonshe/her
Sarah has been part of the Missoula community for over a decade, with experience in teaching, coaching, and athletic retail. She taught K-12 physical and health education in DeSmet and Philipsburg, coached high school basketball and cross country, and worked at Runner’s Edge for five years. Currently, she coaches JV girls basketball at Sentinel High School.
She also gained rehabilitation experience at Range Physical Therapy, earning her Clinical Athlete Certification while building administrative skills. A lifelong runner, Sarah is passionate about the mental, emotional, and social benefits of physical activity. She’s thrilled to support young girls in growing stronger and more confident through running.
Go Run Missoula's Board
Katie Hodge
Chair
She/Her
What is your area of expertise in the professional world?
Public Relations/Communications
What are your hobbies?
Running, reading, playing with our border collie, attending concerts, and watching sporting events.
Which of GRM’s values speak most to you?
Connection. I love that GRM focuses on the role girls play in our community. They are encouraged to think of the larger picture and support their peers in the process.
If you are female and would have had the opportunity to participate in a program like GRM as a child, how would it have impacted your life?
I was such a shy kiddo. I was also highly independent and often found myself most enjoying time by myself. While I did not come to love the sport of running until I was an adult (read love/find frustration with), GRM would have allowed me to learn/build confidence in an entirely different way. Although introverted, I have always been equally as competitive. To this day, I still struggle with being patient with myself and learning to slow down and enjoy a run, rather than placing undo pressure. GRM is about non-competitive running. It’s about being out with friends and having fun while moving. This is such an important lesson and one I’m trying to better embody as an adult. GRM would have so greatly helped me know that however I can show up is perfectly okay. I love that we celebrate all girls and all abilities.
If the world were ending tomorrow, what would you have for dinner tonight?
Lebanese food and as many pastries and baked goods that I could get my hands on.
Raynee Daguerre
Vice Chair
.
She/Her
What is your area of expertise in the professional world?
My expertise is learning and problem solving! I work full time as a parent, Operations Coordinator for Run Wild Missoula (no relation to GRM!), and a long-time soldier in the Montana Army National Guard. It’s most important to me to make the world a place where everyone has access, safety, and belonging.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, biking, weight lifting, exploring Montana, and learning new skills!
Which of GRM’s values speaks the most to you?
All of GRM’s values strike me as deeply important, however, focusing on providing access to safety and stability via healthy support systems and leadership development stands out to me. Empowerment and a supportive network is a radical changemaker in a young person’s life.
If you are female and would have had the opportunity to participate in a program like GRM as a child, how would it have impacted your life?
If GRM had been part of my life as a kid, I would have pushed harder scholastically and strived to succeed in achieving goals I’d decided were out of reach for me, and likely would have finished high school. I would have realized that I love physical activity much earlier! And I would have better supported my friends through their hardships as well.
If the world were ending tomorrow, what would you have for dinner tonight?
Chicken piccata over linguine. Finish with some Sweet Peaks ice cream.
Brian Derry
Treasurer
He/Him
What is your area of expertise in the professional world?
Operations management; financial management
What are your hobbies?
Walking/trail hiking; gardening; volunteering for Missoula nonprofits; quality time with spouse & two son’s families
Which of GRM’s values speaks the most to you?
Empowerment of young girls through fun group activities of running, games, community service, and learning from coaches/mentors on how to become confident and strong individuals and leaders
If the world were ending tomorrow, what would you eat for dinner tonight?
Alaskan salmon prepared by my loving, life partner, Kathy
Cliff Irwin
Secretary
He/Him
What is your area of expertise in the professional world?
I am an attorney. I specialize in family law, and do estate planning, divorces, parenting plans, and adoptions.
What are your hobbies?
My hobbies include whatever my kids are into, whitewater rafting, listening to music, and running.
Which of GRM’s values speak most to you?
GRM’s focus on building confidence really resonates with me. With confidence and a positive attitude anything can be accomplished.
If you are male and know a female who has participated in GRM, how has it affected their life?
My daughter Ali participated with GRM and it boosted her confidence and leadership qualities. It helped her to know herself. She recently told a friend of mine that she doesn’t mind going to speech therapy to work on making her “r” sound because other people struggle with other things.
If the world were ending tomorrow, what would you have for dinner tonight?
My last dinner on this planet would hopefully be a cheeseburger in paradise, made from homemade beef patties mixed with my own secret blend of herbs and spices.
Jennifer Bell
.
She/Her
What is your area of expertise in the professional world?
I am a professor of physical therapy.
What are your hobbies?
Running, cooking, napping
Which of GRM’s values speak most to you?
Building connections for and with young girls is deeply important. GRM’s commitment to connecting girls with mentors and peers leads to strength, confidence, and trust that will serve them throughout their lives.
If you are female and would have had the opportunity to participate in a program like GRM as a child, how would it have impacted your life?
I wish I had this type of program when I was young! It wasn’t until later in college that I was able to learn the deep growth that happens with connection to my body and my peers through sport.
If the world were ending tomorrow, what would you have for dinner tonight?
Cheese with grilled sourdough bread, Thai food, and French fries.
Meredith Repke
.
She/Her
What are your hobbies?
Which of GRM’s values speak most to you?
If you would have had the opportunity to participate in a program like GRM as a child, how would it have impacted your life?
What would you have for dinner tonight if the world were ending tomorrow?
Confidence. Strength. Connection.
Help build a community where girls stand strong in the face of peer pressure, accomplish challenging goals, are physically active, and help their community.
