Girls Run the OC: Where Every Pace Has a Place

Bianca Duarte Founder of Girls Run the OC

Meet Bianca, the 26-year-old founder of Girls Run the OC, a local run club that welcomes runners of all levels. Bianca first began her running journey at Costa Mesa High School, joining her school’s cross-country team. “I joined cross country because I knew for a fact that it was the only team that wouldn’t cut me,” she joked. As time went on, she grew to enjoy running and ended up on her high school’s varsity team. Bianca talked about the ease of running as an exercise. “It’s just a sport where you can go outside your house and start [running], instead of ‘I need to go to the gym’ or ‘I need this appointment.’”

Growing up in a large, close-knit family, Bianca always felt the importance of community. While comfortable being independent, Bianca stated that she finds “peace and a little bit of comfort” being around other people. Even when she started working at her current job, Bianca realized how much she enjoyed being around others and getting to know other people. After the pandemic, Bianca started to look for ways to connect with people in a disconnected world. She initially turned to an already formed running group, but she quickly decided that it wasn’t a good fit for her. “I got mixed into a ginormous running club that wasn’t super beginner-friendly,” she mentioned. Bianca mentioned that while not always the case, a lot of co-ed running clubs can be intimidating and long-distance, which isn’t a good fit for people looking to start (or in Bianca’s case, get back into) running. As a result, Bianca decided to create her own running club where women were free to show up and run at whatever level, and in January of 2024, Girls Run the OC was born.

While Girls Run the OC didn’t run into any initial problems in its first year, in spring of 2025, Bianca’s time was limited from family issues. “When the family stuff happened, I kind of had an initial thought [to] take a month off,” she said, thinking that the run club would also have to take a hiatus. Luckily, the community that Bianca had built was there to support her. A few of the club’s members decided to step up and co-moderate the club during Bianca’s absence, helping to create the schedules, communicate with new joiners, and lead each run. “There was a moment of realization that it’s not just me,” Bianca said, smiling. “I remember I could just text them, like ‘hey, I’m not going to be able to make it today,’ and they would let me know that it was fine.” Bianca stressed the importance of knowing your limits during hard times and taking care of yourself. “You’ll probably finish the mile, but it can sometimes do more harm than good.”

Bianca’s journey shows how by creating community, you also create a support system. Bianca has expanded this through the club, using runs to stand up for human rights and raise money and resources for people in the community. After the Los Angeles Wildfires in January of 2025, Girls Run the OC gather three cars worth of donations for people impacted by the fires. When asked if it was always a goal to use the running club for community support, Bianca said that while it wasn’t a goal, it was “more of a dream that just happened super early.”

As a champion of her community and the founder of Girls Run the OC, LuxaDaisy would like to announce Biana as this month’s “Women Who Shine” spotlight. If you’re interested in joining Girls Run the OC, you can find more information on their Instagram at @girlsruntheoc, or join their What’s App through the link in their bio. For more information on Bianca and the community projects that she is working on, follow her on Instagram @biancagizzella.