I first started to run when I was living in a destructive, abusive relationship. Running was my safe place, an area of my life that I could control. I ran from the pain, depression and anxiety, and I ran to feel powerful and strong. When I first started running it was with a grim determination, but what grew out of that was something much, much more, a love, a passion, a calling.

I found running at a super low point in my life and with and through running I have found a confidence, determination, strength and grit that I never knew I had. I also found friends, joy, nature and a new outlook on life.

Mine, like so many others, is a story of pain, horror and hardship. But it is also a story of love, hope and light. It is a story of resilience, grit and determination. I now run free and happy and limitless and that is the story I want to share.