Why I Started Running

I’ve always been athletic.

I grew up playing sports and being active. But sometimes life goes different than you want and when you have an intellectual disability, team sports can get really hard.

There’s a lot of fast instructions. A lot of pressure to keep up. And not a lot of patience when you don’t fit the mold. The older you get, the more competitive it gets. That’s hard when you want to do your best but don’t understand. It’s like you’re letting the team down just by being on it.

I wanted to something I could do on my own, but not alone.

That’s when my uncle told me about this thing called parkrun, a free 5K event every Saturday where people run, walk, or jog together.

At first I thought, There’s no way I can run 5K.
But I figured I’d give it a try.

That first run took me 38 minutes.
I was out of breath but I finished.

That first parkrun wasn’t fast, but it was mine.

The next week I went again.
And I ran it in 26 minutes.

That’s when something clicked.

I realized I didn’t need a team or a trophy.
I just needed a start line.

One foot in front of the other.

After that, I kept showing up.

And the more I ran, the more I felt free.

It wasn’t about being perfect.
It was about showing up, even on days I didn’t feel so strong.

Running didn’t just change my life, it saved it.

It gave me something to work toward.
A place where I wasn’t too slow or too different.

No one cared about my diagnosis or my past.
I wasn’t benched. I wasn’t judged.
I was just running.

Now I run as much as I can.
I’ve done 5k, 10k, half marathons, full marathons. I’ve done ultra races.

I’ve found peace, strength, and confidence
on trails, tracks, and roads.
I’ve found my way forward.

I didn’t fit so I found my own lane.

If you feel like there’s no place for you in sports (or in life)
I get it.

But you don’t have to fit someone else’s plan to find your own path.

Just show up.
Just be you.
Run your race.
See what happens.

It might just change your life too.