Marisa Snyder had never run more than eight miles before she began training for the Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix Marathon to raise money for the Girls on the Run Santa Fe Chapter, via the national organization's fundraising "leg" called SoleMates.

At the beginning of marathon training, she began researching what could help her recover after long runs.

"One of them was an ice bath," Snyder said. Her two daughters would help her after every long run by making her some hot tea and drawing her a cold bath. Soon, the little girls would hold down her legs with their feet to ensure their mom had a speedy recovery.

"The second week, my youngest put her foot in and they would hold my knees down because it was freezing," Snyder said.

Both Snyder, who is a member of the Girls on the Run board and a coach, and fellow coach Alice Temple ran the Rock 'N' Roll Phoenix Marathon on Jan. 16; and assistant coach Ashley Biggers ran the Walt Disney World Marathon a week before that to raise money for their local GOTR chapter through SoleMates.

"It was pretty awesome that we all did it," said Temple, as she noshed on a pink cupcake at Dulce. This was Temple's 10th marathon, Biggers' second and Snyder's first.

None of the women, who collectively have raised near $3,900 ($2,665 by Temple alone), are comfortable asking for money, but they said this cause motivated them.

"I'm not one that asks other people for help," said Biggers, who raised $923. "But I'm not asking for me — I'm asking for the girls."

To raise money through SoleMates, each woman had to pay a $26 entry fee and raise a minimum of $262, because the marathon is 26.2 miles. They choose what GOTR chapter they want their money to go to, and then SoleMates sets up a fundraising website for each runner through active.com and sends a welcome packet that includes a T-shirt, training plan and thank-you notes.

Biggers, who began running only two years ago, jumped on board to raise funds later in the game. She'd already been training for the Walt Disney World Marathon but raising money gave her added motivation.

"Training was going OK, but not great," Biggers admitted, adding that it takes tremendous motivation to train for a marathon. "When I signed up to do SoleMates and raise money for Girls on the Run, I wanted to do well because I wanted to do the girls proud." She said she used the free T-shirt as a training tool, wearing it as she prepared. "When I'd get tired I'd look down, and say, 'OK. Keep going.' "

Temple said the cause pushed each one to do better both with their running and their fundraising.

"I've done Team In Training before," Temple explained, referring to a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. "But this really hits home because we're all coaches and it's for our organization."

Temple didn't stray from her training once. She even got out for a 20-mile run during one of December's snowstorms.

Because she was running for a cause, Snyder knew she couldn't quit. Not even when she hit the wall at mile 17.

"I didn't think I could go on," Snyder said. "I had to stop and think, 'How am I going to finish and not quit?' "

Now, Snyder is planning her second marathon. Temple cautions that they don't really get any easier.

"They're all horrible," she said with a hearty laugh. "It's all the same story. The first 20 miles is OK, but the last 10K is just horrifying. I haven't been able to get over that hump. That's my desire to get to that point, but they don't get any easier or harder."

The Santa Fe chapter of Girls on the Run, which is a national organization, has served more than 500 girls since it was officially incorporated in 2006 "with the desire to serve more," Temple said. The group served five sites in the fall and will re-open a sixth at El Dorado Community School in the spring, which had been closed down.

Temple said it's not just about teaching girls to run. "It's about teaching them to lead a healthy lifestyle."

The program is always in need of coaches and assistant coaches a few times a week at various sites after school.

"It's our biggest need," Temple said, adding that anyone interested in becoming a coach can visit www.gotr-sf.org for more information. A training is coming up in February and the season will start in mid-March. She said it's a big-time commitment, but all three women agree that it's worth it.

"It's very rewarding," Temple said.

"You change your life and you change the girls' lives," Snyder added.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.