The Split 2021: Running for God, Walking with Jesus

Each Year, Negative Split hosts a community 5k, 10k, and half marathon that starts in the Kendall Yards neighborhood and travels through the heart of downtown Spokane. Their mission is “to inspire health and fitness…and to encourage people not only to finish strong in our races, but also in the many journeys they face in life.”

We can’t think of a better race in which to “finish strong” than the recovery journey.

Meet this year's runners!

UGM has 41 runners from the three LIFE Recovery programs participating  this year. The four individuals below are excited to share the journey with you! You can encourage them on the road to recovery by sponsoring their efforts. Learn more below. 

Lindsey Litchfield: 

Lindsey said she runs for God and walks with Jesus.

 

“I want to glorify Him for every battle won in my life. When I run is when I pray, spending time with my God.”

 

Lindsey was not homeless prior to coming to UGM. “I don’t want people to think UGM is just about homelessness,” she says. “I didn’t come here because I needed a home, I came here to deal with trauma. It took nearly four years before I committed to recovering myself. I was in and out of the Crisis Shelter and they kept loving me and nudging me to do this, but it took me forever to be ready. I finally realized I was alone. I had lost everyone in my life, and that’s when I knew what I had to do.”

At UGM, Lindsey says she is learning to take care of herself for the first time. Running helps her connect the dots between self-care and her relationship with God.

Beverly Clark:

“Working out makes a huge difference in Recovery.” Beverly says self-care and self-confidence are important components in her recovery. “Plus, living with a lot of other women creates a need for me to have a ‘check-out’ time, time for meditation.”

Beverly does not consider herself a natural runner, but she has completed ten half marathons! She says, “Running provides a sense of achievement which I can apply to every other area of my life.

"So often, women in Recovery think we can’t do it, learning that we can is tremendously powerful.”

Robert Turner:

“I run every day at 5:00 a.m.” Robert says physical exercise is key to his recovery. “I spent so long tearing my body apart and protecting my emotions. When you start to view your body the way God views you, you see yourself as a temple of the Holy Spirit and I want my temple to be as pleasing to God as possible.”

He says the emotional work in Program at UGM is so hard, he has to have a physical outlet. “Otherwise, I couldn’t handle it. I need that physical release.”Robert is challenging himself by running in The Split.

 

“I set ambitious goals, goals that I might not make. I’ve never done that before. I’m okay with that because for the first time in my life, my best is good enough.”

 

 

Jesse Lane:

Running a 5k had been a dream of Jesse’s since he was a kid. He was good at athletics, but being the kid from the single-wide trailer whose parents were meth addicts, he was scared to succeed. The rich “jocks” seemed to be in a different class. “Better than me, somehow,” he says. So, he says he sabotaged himself by not trying. Until he came to UGM.

Last year, Jesse ran his first 5k. And this year, he’s going for the 10k.

“I slammed meth for twenty years of my life. I chased that drug for so long.” But now, he’s seeking to be healthy in body, mind and spirit. He watches what he eats. He spends time in the gym.

“It’s my time to be free and to process everything I’m learning.”