Bradley ’11 Supports Domestic Violence Survivors Through 5K Training

Strong Through Every Mile, or STEM Running, is a nonprofit organization which helps victims of domestic violence regain strength and confidence through a “couch to 5K” program. This group was formed three years ago when someone asked on a local Facebook running page where they could donate their old running sneakers. When Albany Law alumna Allison Bradley ’11, an associate analyst at the New York State Senate and avid runner, read the comment that STEM was taking shoes — and volunteers — she knew she wanted to be a part of the movement.

Bradley credits Jennifer Gish for having the idea to found this organization, which is currently the only one of its kind. There are other running groups that share the same goal of rehabilitating victims, but STEM Running is the only one that focuses specifically on domestic violence issues and awareness. In order for these women to successfully recover, the volunteers try to help them stay confident and safe on every run. They constantly look for the safest running locations and keep their end-5K races confidential so that the women feel secure. The program lasts eight to 10 weeks and has about two sessions per year.

The organization has grown into something much bigger than a running group that meets a few times a week.

“Almost from the beginning, walls come down when you’re running,” Bradley said. “Even from Day 1, when there were only eight people running, there was an immediate bond and the women became friends. I saw case managers develop relationships with their clients; athletes, clients and trainers become friends; and combative relationships change. In some cases, they no longer have a case manager-to-client relationship, their whole trust level and communication is changed. There has been a ripple effect outside of the groups.”

Bradley said she wasn’t sure what the group would become when it first formed. They’re currently at a point in the programs growth where they’re deciding the next steps to take and which direction STEM Running will go. What began as one group of runners coming from a rehabilitation center has turned into three and four groups, and is still growing.