A Running Start

05/20/2026

A huge thank you to the amazing West Sixth Running Club for stepping up and supporting A Running Start! 🏃‍♂️💙

Their group is currently collecting running shoes, gear, and supplies for our guys as they work toward healthier lives, stronger minds, and new beginnings. We truly couldn’t do what we do without the support of this incredible community.

If you’d like to help, we are currently accepting:
• Gently used running shoes
• Running gear/workout clothing
• Cases of water

Every donation ❤️ matters more than you know. Thank you for helping us keep people moving forward — one step at a time.

05/18/2026

WHOOOOOOT!!!!!

COMING AUGUST 23RD IN LEXINGTON!

Online registration will open soon for this race supporting A Running Start!

05/15/2026

🏃‍♂️💙💪 We are on the John's Run/Walk Shop podcast!!! Take a listen when you get a chance! Thank you, Johns for your support!!

Listen to Kentucky Running podcast for tips, race news, shoe updates, and community stories to enhance your run-walk experience.

05/15/2026

💪There’s something powerful about finishing what you start. Every mile, every hard day, every choice to keep showing up matters.

Our runners at A Running Start have been putting in the work week after week, and now we’re counting down to race day on June 6 with RaceRise. 🏃‍♂️🔥

This race is about more than a finish line. It’s about proving to yourself that you can keep going. One step at a time.

05/13/2026

❤️ Some nights, hope feels almost visible.

Tonight was filled with stories of reconnecting with family, rebuilding trust, and stepping carefully into new chapters of life. Not perfect stories. Honest ones. The kind built slowly through courage, accountability, and choosing to keep going.

There was so much joy tonight. So much belief in one another.

And it feels especially meaningful as we prepare to announce our very first 5K partnership with the Hope Center in the next few days. Because A Running Start has never just been about running. It’s about movement toward healing, purpose, and new life. 🏃‍♂️💪

05/09/2026

❤️Thank you so much to J&H Outdoors and J&H Running Co. Store for the incredible shoe donations to A Running Start.

People don’t always realize how much something as simple as a good pair of shoes 👟 can matter. For our runners, it means confidence. It means dignity. It means showing up ready to keep moving forward.

Programs like ours truly depend on community support, and we are so grateful for businesses that choose to invest in people and believe in second chances.

Thank you for helping remove barriers and reminding our runners that this community sees them, supports them, and believes in them. ❤️

Lexington really does show up for people. 🏃

05/09/2026

So excited to be the charity of choice for this month for West Sixth Running Club!! Thank you guys so much for supporting us! ❤️

05/07/2026

☀️ It’s easy to show up when the weather is good and life feels easy. The real work happens when it’s hard and you do it anyway.

We’re grateful for these beautiful evenings 🌅, the sunshine, and the miles together. But recovery and growth don’t stop when life gets uncomfortable.

At A Running Start, we keep showing up anyway. That’s where strength is built. 💙

05/06/2026

Tonight one of our runners crushed his personal record. 🏃‍♂️🔥

These are the moments that get us. Guys who once said, “I can’t,” are now out here surpassing goals they never thought possible.

Recovery is wild like that. You start by trying to survive… and somewhere along the way, you become strong.

We are SO proud of these men and the work they’re putting in every single week. ❤️

Want to help?
💧 Water donations
👟 Gently used men’s running shoes (sizes 9–13)
❤️ Monetary donations always appreciated

Because changing lives sometimes starts with something as simple as a pair of running shoes.

05/01/2026

❤️ Some of the strongest men we run with every week aren’t just fighting for themselves… they’re fighting for their kids.

Being away from your children is one of the hardest parts of early recovery. There’s no way around that truth. But choosing to step back, get healthy, and do the work—that’s not walking away… that’s stepping up.

Because sobriety isn’t just personal—it’s generational.

When a father commits to recovery, everything begins to shift. Stability. Presence. Trust. Kids don’t need perfection… they need consistency, safety, and a dad who shows up clear-minded and committed. That kind of change ripples through an entire family.

At A Running Start, we see it every day—men lacing up their shoes 👟 with purpose, carrying the weight of “why” with every mile. Photos of their kids in their rooms. Names in their hearts. A future they’re determined to rewrite.

They’re not just running toward a finish line…
They’re running back to being the fathers their children deserve.

And that kind of work?
That kind of love?
That changes everything. 🏃‍♂️❤️

05/01/2026

❤️🏃‍♂️ What if the opposite of addiction… isn’t just sobriety—but movement?

At A Running Start, we see it every single week. When the miles go up, the cravings go down.

Here’s what the numbers say:

• Regular physical activity can reduce relapse risk by up to 40%
• Just 20–30 minutes of exercise can significantly decrease cravings in the moment
• Exercise boosts dopamine naturally—the same system addiction hijacks
• People in recovery who stay active report better sleep, lower anxiety, and stronger emotional control
• Running builds routine, accountability, and confidence—three things recovery demands

But here’s what the stats don’t show…

They don’t show the guy who didn’t want to come—but did.
They don’t show the one who thought he couldn’t—and then finished.
They don’t show the moment someone realizes, “I’m not that person anymore.”

This isn’t just about running.
It’s about replacing habits that were destroying lives… with ones that rebuild them.

One mile at a time. 🏃‍♂️❤️