“To my knowledge we’re the only organization that pairs running and mental health in the nation.”
Sasha Wolff started “Still I Run” in 2016, born from her personal struggles with anxiety and depression, and the relief she found in running.
“I wanted to connect with other people who ran for mental health and surprisingly couldn’t find anything – not in Grand Rapids, West Michigan, Michigan or countrywide. So I thought, why not just start this thing myself?”
First a Facebook group, “Still I Run” grew into a national non-profit now partnered with professional medical staff at a counseling and fitness center called The Well Being which supports the intersection of mental health and physical exercise.
“There’s actually something physiologically going on in your brain when you run or move even.”
They offer a program called The Starting Line Scholarship and are accepting applications now for the Grand Rapids cohort.
It’s a 12-week program held spring and fall that meets twice a week for group therapy, fitness classes and training runs to prepare for a local 5K.
If accepted into the program, everything needed is free.
“We hear too often: if you want to run, just get a pair of shoes and go outside. But it is so much more complicated than that. Good shoes cost money. Being able to run successfully takes accountability, a community, or sometimes a little education on how to get started.”
The spring group is currently preparing to run together in the Amway River Bank Run Saturday May 11.
Applications are being taken for the next program on the websites of “Still I Run” and The Well Being.
