Three years into coaching inmates at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, Lisa Keller met Gina (last name has been omitted for privacy). She was a petite woman with black hair and a gaunt face. She was the first and only late addition to Keller’s program, Running Free Alaska, which encourages health and healing at the women’s prison in Eagle River, Alaska. The program founder had made an exception for Gina to join midseason, hoping it would help her process the trauma of solitary confinement early in her stay.
Gina, who was just 24 when she joined, spent several weeks with her head down, never making eye contact. Keller watched Gina ace agility drills. Her athletic potential was clear, but Keller wondered whether Gina could see it in herself.
There was hope, because Keller, an endurance coach outside prison walls, had seen treatment through running work. She started coaching inmates at Hiland in 2012 with the goal of getting 25 women to a 5K. That first year, the prisoners trained indoors, where 68.5 laps in the gym made up the race distance. They practiced three times a week for 12 weeks. At the end, 21 of the 25 women ran the final 5K. They earned sports bras and shoes, and also lost weight, gained speed, and opened up to one another. “Prison is one of the most distrustful places,” Keller says. “Yet our runners spill their guts to each other on a long run.”
As the 2014 season went on, Gina started to look up. She couldn’t resist chatting. “It helped me overcome my fears and build strength, physically and spiritually,” Gina says. “I wear my sports bra all the time, so I never forget I’m a runner.”
Today, the women run outside on a dirt path on the facility’s property. Gina and five other inmates act as team captains to support new recruits and 30 other long-term members. In fall 2018, Gina lowered her 5K time to 20:14, setting the Hiland Mountain’s course record. Keller says this kind of transformation isn’t unique. By getting the women to talk about their problems, the program aides their rehabilitation. She believes, too, that the physical outlet is pivotal. “When we run, we’re in control of our bodies,” she says. “It gives them back their power.”
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