THE USUAL
From left to right: Matthew Smith, Justin Garrity and Matthew Elliott
ROAD TO RECOVERY Run club offers a safe space to share by CATHERINE CURRIN photography by BOB KARP
M
att Elliott and Justin Garrity love to run—and not just for fitness. They found that spending time outside, exercising, with like-minded friends, was proving to be a way to work through their struggles and successes in recovery from addition. That realization led the two to found the Oak City Recovery Run Club (OCRRC), a twice-a-week running
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club that fosters a diverse community through exercise. “I read an article in Runner’s World about running impacting the homeless community and people in recovery, and I thought, ‘Why doesn’t this exist in Raleigh?’” says Garrity, who found that most of the city’s social running clubs met at a brewery or a pub. The OCRRC held its first meeting in early 2017, and since then, they’ve had over 300 people participate. The idea was
to create a safe space combining exercise and recovery support, where anyone is welcome to join. “Speed, pace, distance… none of it really matters,” says Garrity. “Running is an easy way for people to connect. We’re trying to decrease the stigma around people with addiction,” says club leader Matthew Smith. The club works closely with the residents at Healing Transitions, where Elliott and Garrity first met, but the group
