Vice President Lissa Rivera and Founder Vanessa Smith of Outrun Addiction.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
ENFIELD — Outrun Addiction’s seventh annual 5K run/walk is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 9 a.m. at the Enfield Town Annex, 124 North Maple St.
This 5K run/walk has gathered hundreds of people each year in effort to spread awareness and to remind those affected that they are not alone.
Outrun Addiction’s mission is to raise money for local charities that focus on drug addiction, substance abuse education, awareness, stigma, research, prevention and recovery. The money raised from this event are donated to three beneficiaries: The Alex Fisher Foundation, Today I Matter Inc. and TriCircle.
Founder Vanessa Smith said, “Our goal is to continue to make the event larger and larger, increase our virtual participant numbers outside of Connecticut and perhaps add a second location.”
She continued, “We want to bring as many people together not only to raise funds for our beneficiaries and scholarship recipients, but also to bring the community together.”
Founded in 2018, Outrun Addiction is a nonprofit organization in Enfield dedicated to honoring the lives lost to addiction, celebrating those in recovery and supporting those who are still battling addiction alongside their friends and families.
Smith and Vice President Lissa Rivera grew up with parents who struggled with addiction and saw the hardship associated with it.
Smith, who’s a runner, was looking for a race in town and found nothing close by. That’s where the idea of a 5K came, so she reached out to Rivera who was already a part of a group called Community Addiction Awareness Project.
“Vanessa reached out,” said Rivera. “We put our minds together and I thought it was a great idea. She was a child of an addict in recovery and I’m a child of an addict in recovery. Our experience and heartaches of that as children came together and then as adults surrounded by losing friends from overdoses and knowing people nonstop throughout our community losing their lives overdosing.”
She went on to say, “Whether you’re on the end of being in recovery, using, being the loved one affected by it, we all need our own support in one way or another.”
As of this year, Smith and Rivera started their own college scholarships for Enfield High School students that have been affected by addiction.
“There’s going to be both physical and mental challenges but keep moving forward and no matter your age, your pace or position in the race, you’ll get there if you don’t give up,” said Smith. “Recovery requires taking that first step and then perseverance and setting achievable goals just as running does.”
To register for the 5K run/walk, go to outrunaddiction.org. You can also register the day of the event. The cost is $30 ahead of time or $35 on race day.
