Running is in Katelynn Carroll's blood. She started running over a decade ago. But for Sara McFadden, running feels a bit different.

“My dad is a long-distance runner and he's always encouraged me to run, but I've never had a good relationship with it," said McFadden, who is participating in the Freihofer's Training Challenge.

Both of them are training for the Freihofer's Run for Women. It’s one of the largest all-female 5Ks in the country, raising money and awareness for women’s health and fitness.

They’re doing it with the help of the run’s training challenge.

“The training challenge is weekly meet-ups to get ready to run the 5K. We meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and you get a coach and a mentor and just a community to run with," McFadden said.

Carrol is focusing on speed and endurance, while McFadden just wants to find a love for running. Both say that's the beauty of the challenge. It's for everyone.

“Oftentimes, women, you know, we put ourselves last. So this runner's challenge is specifically set up to make sure they have that dedicated time for themselves and their health every year so they can better take care of everyone else around them," said Emily Lang Anastasio, marketing director of the Capital District YMCA. "So to have a group of women that is empowering you every week to reach out to you, to make sure you're OK, you build that community. It's really a wonderful program."

At the end of the challenge, they’ll be able to complete the 5K, but both women say that they’re doing it for more than a medal.

“A feeling of community and supporting each other," said Carroll. "I love that about the running community. If you're running out and you see somebody else running, everyone waves high, even if you don't know each other. So running in the group just kind of builds that feeling of togetherness."

The run is scheduled for June 3. Sign ups for the training challenge run through April 7, and even though they’re doing it for different reasons, both Carroll and McFadden know they’ll meet their goals.