By James Ford
PIX11
One of the Tri-state region’s largest addiction recovery programs believes that a steady, dedicated pace leads to success.
Odyssey House is the organization that put that concept into practice literally on Saturday with its Run For Your Life, which PIX11 News supports.
It was the 19th Annual Run For Your Life, featuring a one-and-a-half-mile family walk and a 5-K run around Randalls Island. The event raises funds for the organization that helps thousands of people overcome addiction while keeping their families intact.
The athletics that the event involves are also part of the recovery process of many of its participants.
In addition to the run and walk, the Run For Your Life also features other physical activities, including dancing and fitness exercises. There are also kids’ activities, a voter registration table, and Narcan training.
The weather was wet and rainy, but various people involved said that that couldn’t get in the way of a great and healthful time overcoming addiction.
Frances Zoleta is a staff member at Odyssey House, or OH, a proud recovering addict. The Run For Your Life 5K is part of her training for OH’s New York City Marathon team.
“Everything I do right now,” she said, “is to nourish the seed of my recovery.”
Her coach, André Matthews, leads the entire OH Marathon Team. He’s run more than two dozen New York City Marathons and has been clean and sober for decades. Various people at Saturday’s event said his example inspires dozens of team members yearly.
For his part, Matthews said that running courses, from one mile to a marathon’s 26.2 miles, is “a metaphor for life.”
“One step at a time,” he said about his running instruction and about the lesson he imparts to people in recovery. “That is what we celebrate today.”
Peter Provet is the CEO of Odyssey House. He says it’s important that the Run For Your Life continues each year, no matter the weather.
“It’s cloudy,” he said about Saturday’s conditions, “but we keep going, and that’s the message behind recovery.”
As has been the case for a decade, PIX11 News has been invited to have an on-air personality host the event. This year, reporter James Ford emceed the Run For Your Life.