The Houston Run for Recovery, now entering its sixth year with its annual race and community celebration scheduled for September 27, 2015, is showing its staying power in a community known as one of the strongest in the nation’s burgeoning recovery movement.
"The Houston Run for Recovery highlights the fact that recovery from alcohol and drug addiction is achievable and celebrates the joy of living a full and healthy life free from substance use.” states Nadine Scamp, co-chair of the 2015 Houston Run for Recovery and CEO of Santa Maria Hostel. “In this National Recovery month celebration, our goal is to reach out to the community and say that everyone knows someone who has been impacted by addiction. We want to change the place of darkness and shame that those impacted by substance use disorder so often experience to one of hope and healing in recovery. Recovery is a life long process, and by running and walking together we show our support for all of our neighbors and loved ones who are making that daily effort to maintain long term recovery.”
Participants are not necessarily individuals who have experienced recovery personally. However, anyone who has seen the benefits of recovery in someone they know and love can understand and share the joy of celebrating it. New this year is the ability to honor a loved one or one’s own recovery by writing a name on a special place on the race T-shirt.
While the race celebrates recovery, its goal is to also embrace the entire running community. “As more serious runners become involved, we continue to build our numbers and also help others see the promise of a holistic approach to health in all areas of our lives,” adds Kay Austin, Run for Recovery Committee member and Board Chair of the Houston Recovery Center.
Austin and Keith Liles, founding committee members, explain that the idea for the race originated when Austin was attending a national conference focused on the social aspects of recovery, where she heard stories of successful runs in other communities. Liles had a prior history with the InterFirst Symphony Run back in the 90s and together they embarked on their mission of developing Houston’s largest recovery event of the year.
In the process of planning the event, the organizers discovered that many people in the recovery movement also are active in the running community, which proved to be a huge catalyst for getting the race up and running. Volunteers from the running community were instrumental in setting up the race to accommodate everyone from the professional runner striving to set a new official time to casual walkers supporting those in recovery. (Walkers are asked to start near the back of the pack to allow serious runners to achieve their best time.)
The event will begin with a non-competitive 1K Kids Fun Run at 8:00am followed by a competitive and non-competitive 5K Run/Walk at 8:30am at 501 Prairie, Houston, Texas. Post race festivities and activities for the children will be held at Fish Plaza, Wortham Theater Center, Downtown Houston. Registration is available online, in person September 25th (10:00am-7:00pm) and 26th (10:00am-6:00pm) at Luke’s Locker, 1953 West Gray Street, Houston, TX 77019, or on-site at 7:00am on the day of the event. Proceeds will go to recovery-based scholarships benefiting program participants at Santa Maria Hostel, Extended Aftercare Alumni, and The Council on Recovery, the three Founding Sponsors of this event.