00:00Running is a vehicle for social change.
00:02We could be doing something else, right?
00:04But running pulls us together, creates connection, creates community.
00:13In 2012, I was going through a really deep period of depression
00:18and really felt like I had no purpose.
00:20My friend was training for a marathon.
00:22I kept following his journey, and that really struck a chord with me.
00:26I figured I had nothing to lose, so I signed up for my first marathon.
00:30What I found almost immediately is that it gave me a sense of structure
00:34and this sense of power over myself, and it really changed my perspective.
00:38When I got to the finish line, the seeds were planted right then.
00:41I thought, this could change so many lives.
00:44That feeling is really what fueled Harlem Run.
00:48Harlem Run starts every Monday with introductions.
00:52All right, who's here for the first time tonight? Any first-timers?
00:55Welcome!
00:59Welcome!
01:00One thing that I think is really important and unique about Harlem Run
01:03is that it really is an inclusive space for people of all abilities.
01:06We don't run with headphones.
01:08We're here to share space and inspire people along the way.
01:13Run for All Women started around the election.
01:15I wanted to get my community involved.
01:17I had this idea about running from Harlem to Washington, D.C.
01:21for the Women's March.
01:23I really wanted to do something meaningful with that,
01:25and that's where the fundraising piece came in.
01:27I decided that I would fundraise for Planned Parenthood.
01:30Women from all over the country and the world started reaching out,
01:33wanting to participate.
01:34We didn't know any of these people, so it was a huge leap of faith
01:37to set out on this 250-mile journey and hope that it would be supported.
01:42It was bigger than anything we ever could have imagined.
01:45There were people who were meeting us at 3 o'clock in the morning,
01:48people who were canceling work,
01:50mothers who were bringing their kids with them so they could be there.
01:53The morning of the Women's March, we made it there,
01:55and it was this beautiful realization that there's so much power in running
02:01and in community.
02:02Running has transformed my life.
02:04The most important thing that I've recognized is that when people are willing to be vulnerable
02:09and open up, it creates really strong bonds of connection and community.
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