A Running Start

A Running Start A running community committed to encouraging, growing and helping new runners from challenged backgrounds get a fresh start in life!

Tonight's forecast: sun's out, but we're not. 😅We built this program on "finish what you start" — but nobody said anythi...
09/04/2026

Tonight's forecast: sun's out, but we're not. 😅

We built this program on "finish what you start" — but nobody said anything about starting a run when it's 105° 🥵with the heat index. Even the sun needs a rest day sometimes, and so do we.

Runners canceled, hydration levels: mandatory. Grab your water, stay cool, and we'll be back out there when Kentucky decides to chill (literally) — see everyone next week! 💧🏃

☀️🔥 **Heat Advisory Alert!** 🔥☀️A Running Start has officially declared today too hot to trot. Even the pavement is swea...
09/03/2026

☀️🔥 **Heat Advisory Alert!** 🔥☀️

A Running Start has officially declared today too hot to trot. Even the pavement is sweating, and that's saying something.

So instead of hitting the pavement, we're hitting pause. Hydrate, stay cool, and know that our resolve is a lot tougher than this heat wave — we'll be back out there the second it breaks.

Rest today, run (maybe!) tomorrow. Recovery doesn't quit... it just waits for the sun to chill out. 💪🌡️

🔥 TOO HOT TO TROT! 🔥Mother Nature has officially told A Running Start, “Not tonight, friends.” 😂With these temperatures,...
09/01/2026

🔥 TOO HOT TO TROT! 🔥

Mother Nature has officially told A Running Start, “Not tonight, friends.” 😂

With these temperatures, we’re going to sit this one out tonight. And honestly… we’d rather have our runners hot on the trail than hot enough to fry an egg on their forehead. 🍳😂

There’s a good chance the heat will keep us off the trail all week, but we’ll reassess the weather EVERY DAY and keep everyone updated.

For tonight: hydrate, stay cool, find some shade, and enjoy the rare opportunity to say, “I can’t run tonight because it’s TOO HOT.” 😉

We’ll be back out there as soon as it’s safe!

Stay cool, runners! ❤️🏃‍♂️

💜 Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Almost every family in Lexington has been touched by this in some way —...
08/31/2026

💜 Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Almost every family in Lexington has been touched by this in some way — including ours.

At A Running Start, we believe recovery isn't a straight line, but it can be a mile at a time. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, our runners show up for each other — not because it's easy, but because finishing what you start matters.

We run for the ones we've lost. We run for the ones still fighting. And we'll keep showing up until every person gets a real shot at a fresh start.

If you or someone you love is struggling, recovery is possible. And if you want to help someone get there, we'd love to have you — as a runner, a volunteer, or a sponsor.

Saturday mornings look different now.We wake up clear. No regret, no fog — just quiet mornings and Friday nights spent r...
08/29/2026

Saturday mornings look different now.

We wake up clear. No regret, no fog — just quiet mornings and Friday nights spent running side by side instead of running from ourselves.

Fact: once someone hits 5 years sober, the risk of relapse drops below 15%. Every mile, every clean weekend, every Friday night run — it's building something that lasts.

We're not just getting sober. We're getting our weekends back. 🏃‍♂️💚

Thursday night showing out! 🏃‍♂️❤️🏃‍♂️
08/27/2026

Thursday night showing out! 🏃‍♂️❤️🏃‍♂️

08/27/2026

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. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💚

👟 Lacing up your shoes doesn't feel like much. One small movement. But that one small movement is the whole thing.You do...
08/25/2026

👟 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. 🏃‍♀️💛

We are not just a program. We are a community.🏃‍♀️💚For almost 14 years, A Running Start has kept moving forward because ...
08/22/2026

We are not just a program. We are a community.🏃‍♀️💚

For almost 14 years, A Running Start has kept moving forward because of one thing: volunteers who show up, week after week, and choose to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Our volunteers aren't just runners. They're business owners, property owners, doctors, lawyers — people from every walk of life who lace up their shoes and show up for our runners with open hearts and zero judgment. They build real friendships, real trust, real connections — the kind that remind our participants they are seen, valued, and never alone in this journey.

It takes all of us to keep this running. And we are so blessed to have the most dedicated, caring group of people standing beside us — mile after mile, year after year.

To every volunteer who has ever shown up: **thank you.** You are the heartbeat of this community. 💚

08/15/2026

🏃‍♂️FINISHING WHAT HE STARTED🏃‍♂️

Last night, one of our A Running Start participants, Jason, crossed the finish line of his 5K — and is completing his program at the Hope Center.

No big crowd. No stadium of cheers. Just Jason, a handful of volunteers running beside him, and a promise he made to himself weeks ago. 💪

And that's the thing about recovery — the moments that matter most aren't always the ones anyone's watching. They're the ones where you show up anyway. Where you keep the commitment even when there's no applause waiting at the end.

Jason set a goal. Jason kept himself accountable. Jason finished.

That's what A Running Start is really about — not the spectacle, but the discipline. Not the applause, but the follow-through. When someone in recovery learns they can set a goal and actually keep it, that's not just a 5K. That's proof they can trust themselves again. And that changes everything!!

From addict to athlete. From surviving to finishing.

Congratulations, Jason. We're proud of you. 💚🤍

Address

360 W Loudon Ave
Lexington, KY
40508

Telephone

859-333-9933

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