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Our A Running Start family is grieving.

On Monday, we lost one of our own. Frank Couch was killed in a car accident, and we’re still trying to wrap our hearts around it.

Many of you knew Frank from the Hope Center, where he worked on the maintenance staff. He was the guy keeping things running for everyone else, and then lacing up to run alongside us.

Frank showed up. He put in the miles and did the hard work recovery asks of you every single day. He had a sponsor in one of our alumni walking right beside him, and he was making all the right changes in his life. You could see it in him. He was becoming the man he wanted to be.

We’ll never understand why some people are taken so early. But we believe there’s a greater meaning in this, even if we can’t see it yet. Every run, every step forward, every choice Frank made to keep going mattered. It still does.

Losing someone this suddenly is something no family is ever ready for. Frank leaves behind a daughter and loved ones who are now facing funeral costs and immediate needs they never saw coming. We have set up a GoFundMe to help carry some of that weight as they get through the hard days ahead.

If it’s on your heart, please give what you can. No gift is too small, and every dollar makes a difference. If you can’t give right now, please keep Frank’s family in your prayers and share this post. Let’s show them they are not walking this road alone.

👉 https://gofund.me/69aaf0f5c

Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and your prayers. God bless each and every one of you.

Frank, thank you for running with us. We’ll carry you every mile from here. 🤍 #arunningstart

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Today, our members volunteered at the Hope Center in Lexington, KY, dedicating their time to deep cleaning the facility, including mattresses, mats, carpets, floors, and common areas.

We’re proud of our men for stepping up, giving back, and making a meaningful difference for those experiencing homelessness in our community.

Huge shoutout to our philanthropy chair, @elliottszalla, for organizing this incredible cause.

#DamnProud

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🏃‍♂️ **Finishing what he started.**

When we met Chris H on day one, we’ll be honest — we weren’t sure he’d make it through. He was quiet, guarded, and carrying a lot. Twelve weeks is a long commitment when you’re fighting for your recovery every single day.

But Chris kept showing up. Tuesday. Thursday. Friday night. Rain, heat, sore legs, hard days — he was there for just about every single run.

Somewhere along the way, something shifted. The guy who stood at the back of the group started leading it. He began using those miles as part of his everyday recovery, and he’s told us he plans to keep moving long after this program ends. That’s the part that gets us. 💚

Chris is now moving into the extended care transitional housing near the Hope Center, which means he’s staying close — and we get to keep cheering him on. 🙌

This is why we do what we do. People ask if programs like ours really work. Chris is your answer. We have success stories, and every one of them started with someone simply deciding to show up.

Congratulations, Chris. We’re so proud of you. 🏅

#ARunningStart #FinishWhatYouStart #RecoveryIsPossible #FromAddictToAthlete

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We don’t talk about this part enough.

Tonight two of our participants and two of our volunteers ran side by side. What you don’t see in this video are the ones who started this journey with us and aren’t here to finish it — lost to relapse, to overdose, or just to walking away because recovery got too hard.

Here’s what we know: those people are never lost to us. Once you’ve run with A Running Start, you’re family — whether you’re crossing the finish line tonight or fighting your way back after a hard season. ❤️

Nationally, 40-60% of people in recovery relapse at some point. It’s a chronic condition, not a failure — and the risk drops the longer someone stays connected to support. That’s why we show up every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Connection changes the odds.

So when a runner crosses that finish line — high-fiving, out of breath, grinning ear to ear — it means everything. We know the other options. That’s why every single night is worth celebrating.

Grateful for every runner still in the fight. And still hoping for the ones finding their way back. You’re not forgotten. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💚

#ARunningStart #RecoveryRunning #FinishWhatYouStart

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👟 Lacing up your shoes doesn’t feel like much. One small movement. But that one small movement is the whole thing.

You don’t run a 5K without lacing up first. You don’t get your kids back without showing up to the first visit. You don’t get off probation without checking in that one time you didn’t feel like it. You don’t build a career without clocking in on the hard days.

Recovery works the same way running does — nobody hands you the finish line. You earn it one step at a time, and half the time you can’t even see how far you’ve come until you look back.

So if today all you’ve got in you is putting one foot in front of the other — that’s enough. That’s the whole race, actually. Every big goal is just a bunch of small, unglamorous steps stacked on top of each other by somebody who refused to quit.

Lace up. Show up. Keep going. That’s how it’s done. 🏃‍♀️💛

#ARunningStart #RecoveryIsPossible #OneStepAtATime #FromAddictToAthlete

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Getting sober is hard.

But nobody talks enough about how hard it is to build a life again.

🏠 Find housing with a felony.
💼 Find someone willing to hire you.
🚗 Get transportation.
🪪 Get your driver’s license back.
🏥 Figure out health insurance.

Recovery doesn’t magically give you those things.

And running doesn’t either.

But here’s what running CAN do…

At A Running Start, our participants run alongside volunteers who are connected to this community — employers, business owners, professionals and people who simply believe in second chances.

Miles turn into conversations.
Conversations turn into connections.
And sometimes connections turn into opportunities.

We need more than runners.

We need employers willing to give someone a chance. Housing connections. Transportation resources. Professional services. Mentors. Community partners.

You may not be able to change someone’s past.

But you might be able to open the door to their future.

Come run with us. Come volunteer. Come partner with us. ❤️

#ARunningStart #RecoveryIsPossible #SecondChances #RecoveryCommunity #Lexingtonky

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Next week, A Running Start has been invited to speak at the Kentucky Mental Health Summit SOAR about a subject that is at the heart of what we do: the connection between physical activity, mental health and recovery. 💚

For nearly 14 years, we’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how something as simple as putting on a pair of shoes and getting outside can become part of rebuilding a life in recovery.

The research supports what we see every week.

🏃 A major review of more than 14,000 participants found that exercise can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, with walking and jogging among the most effective forms of exercise studied.

🧠 Regular physical activity has also been shown to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve sleep, boost mood and support overall mental well-being.

But what statistics don’t always capture is the power of doing it together. ❤️

At A Running Start, it’s not about being fast. Some days we run. Some days we walk. Some days the biggest accomplishment is simply showing up.

It’s about routine. Accountability. Community. Setting a goal and discovering that you’re capable of reaching it.

We are also proud to be, to our knowledge, the only physical fitness program currently partnered directly with a recovery facility in Central Kentucky.

Next week, we’re grateful for the opportunity to share what we’ve learned with others across Kentucky — and hopefully encourage more conversations about making physical activity and community a part of recovery.

Because recovery isn’t only about what we stop doing.

It’s also about what we start building. 💚

#ARunningStart #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthMatters #PhysicalActivity #RunningForRecovery

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🏃💙🎉 Puppy pic for algorithms! 🤪 But seriously, send me short messages about how physical activity has helped your mental health! 💪 #ARS

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☀️ **Same routine, same results.**

If you want something different in your life, you have to be willing to do something different — even if it’s small. Change your route. Change your pace. Change your view.

There’s real power in stepping outside — literally. Sunshine boosts your mood, clears your head, and reminds you the world is bigger than the four walls you’ve been staring at. A new trail, a different street, a run at a different time of day — it shifts your perspective, and a shifted perspective can shift everything else.

You can’t out-think a rut. You have to move through it.

This week, change one thing. Take the long way. Run somewhere new. Get outside and let the sun remind you: growth doesn’t happen by standing still. 🌱

#ARunningStart #RecoveryRunning #FinishWhatYouStart

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Lane of Roses gave @thekiidcoffee a try at our event today with One Parent Scholar House (@hopecenterlex). Definitely kid approved!

Give us a thumbs up in the comments if you think we should have Kiid Coffee at all our future Coffee Carts.

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🏃💪 Starting something new is hard. Really hard. And when you’re new in recovery, everything already feels like a lot — your emotions are loud, your nervous system is on overdrive, and adding one more thing to your plate can feel impossible.

That’s exactly why we show up anyway.

Because physical activity — even just lacing up and walking a mile — has a real, proven ability to ease stress, anxiety, and depression. It gives your mind something else to focus on. It gives your body a way to release what words can’t always explain.

Out on the trail, for that hour we dedicate to ourselves, the noise gets quieter. It’s just us, our breath, our feet hitting the ground, and a community that’s moving through it together — one step, one mile, one day at a time.

You don’t have to feel ready. You just have to show up. We’ll do the rest together. 👟🏃‍♀️💪

#ARunningStart #FromAddictToAthlete #RecoveryRunning #FinishWhatYouStart #wedorecover

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