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Letter from Founder
1987. San Francisco. While in the depths of my addiction, I was robbed and beaten in the Charlie Hotel. To escape my attackers, I jumped from the third story window, shattering both of my feet upon impact. I spent the better part of the year convalescing in a wheelchair. The doctor said that when or if I started walking again, it would always be with a limp.
Today, I begin the countdown to Run 4 Recovery 2010. I will run 225 miles in ten days. Just as the doctor predicted, only one leg is sound; the other I drag along for the ride. This is just one of the many challenges I face as I begin this journey – a journey not unlike the one taken by those trudging the road of recovery from addiction. Many individuals are able to hit the ground running when they enter recovery. They begin their journey in a desperate and promising sprint for that finish line called “sobriety,” supported along each debilitating, soul-searching mile by family and friends. However, there are also those who struggle alone along their journey, limping in solitude towards an end that at times seems unattainable. I run for them, so that in their time of greatest need, they have a hand to hold along the road towards their new, sober lives.
The Run 4 Recovery Route
225 miles in 10 days
The run starts on September 16th and ends on the 25th. I'll be starting the run in Salt Point, Jenner, California and will run south to Carmel by the Sea. I'll be stopping in the following towns as I run: Jenner, Bodega Bay, Marshall, Dogtown, San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Butano State Park, Davenport, Rio Del Mar, Moss Landing, and Carmel by the Sea.
My run will start in Sonoma's wine country (ironic as that may be). The route will skirt the California coast into the naturally preserved Point Reyes National Park. My path continues into San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. This will be a spiritually guided experience, due to my personal history of addiction experienced in the city. My journey continues to progress down historic Highway One. I will pass through the beautiful beach communities of Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey into my final destination of Carmel by the Sea. This stunning and uplifting run through beautiful and historically significant places is my dream realized.
Mission
Seventeen years ago, I began a new life after being saved from a decade battle with drug and alcohol addiction. That help came in the form of a county funded drug and alcohol treatment program. During my ten-month stay, I was provided with food, shelter, medical care, as well as clothes from their donation table. Most importantly, I was given hundreds of hours of guidance on how to maintain my new drug-free life.
Every day I am witness to the ravages of addiction, and the toll it takes on family who are unable to help their loved one continue on the road to recovery due to the lack of funds and resources. Run for Recovery is an act of reciprocity. I run so that I can give back to the community that provided for me in my time of suffering, and in turn do so for others who seek to maintain their own drug-free life.
Robin
