Q: Please tell us a little bit about why you chose the Miami Marathon and why you chose the charity?
“Miami… oops, yes! I’m from Indiana and I’ve never been to Miami but always wanted to. I saw that The Herron Project (a charity that provides drug and alcohol addiction recovery services) was working with My husband and I got together and decided that this was going to be my next marathon and we were going to do a real trip and I was going to run and the next day we were going to cruise to Miami.
Q: Why choose the Herren project?
“This month will be my second year sober! I’ve struggled with alcohol addiction for over a decade. You name it, I’ve probably been through it. I’ve lost everything.
I have been banned from driving 3 times in 3 years for drink driving. During this time I was divorced and lost primary custody of my son. I lost the trust of my family and friends and hurt a lot of people along the way. From prison to hospitalization to the psych ward, I lost everything and became homeless.
Fortunately, when I got to this point, I had help from a behavioral health counselor who directed me to a women’s shelter. I still struggled on and off over the years and even had a sudden epiphany in my heart where I surrendered and allowed God into my life. At this point, I can say today that I am sober.
I stumbled upon the Herren Project, saw what they were doing, and wanted to be a part of it. Without organizations like this, I wouldn’t be here today! My new journey is to help others in any way I can.
How long have you been running?
“This will be my first race for The Herren Project, but hopefully not my last. Running has always been with me, even through my drinking years. I will keep running in some way – it’s my therapy , I’m grateful to you and the Herron Project for helping us runners get back to feeling great.
Q: Any final notes?
“Thank you for reaching out and giving me the opportunity to share why I’m running the Miami Marathon!”
Follow Ashley and her fundraising journey here – find out more
