[vc_single_image source=”featured_image” img_size=”full”]Barbara Friedman has had (almost) every job that there is at Beit T’Shuvah. In 2009, she was in Development working with Stephanie Martinez and Lexy Nolte when Beit T’Shuvah first formed a team to run in the L.A. Marathon. That year, and for the next several, Barbara worked on the block party that BTS throws for its runners and supporters but was unable to attend because of a scheduling conflict. Finally, in 2016, Barbara’s schedule for marathon weekend cleared. ] She loves to walk, but a whole marathon seemed daunting. Even 13 miles sounded like a lot. But Barbara supports Beit T’Shuvah however she can, and she joined the team, committing to walk the second half of the course.
She recruited Baer, Genevieve and Lexy and together they were blown away by the people by the sides of the roads – cheering the runners on, giving them snacks, waving banners. “It was heartwarming,” Barbara recounts. And she discovered some advantages of walking – or running – the second half of the course rather than the first half. “The BTS block party is about halfway for us, so we can stop and catch our breath and maybe have a bite among friends, and when we get to Brentwood, not only are we making our way to the beach through beautiful scenery, but supporters are yelling ‘only two more miles’”!
The thing that amazes Barbara the most, though, is watching the residents grow through their participation on the Running4Recovery team. “Working as part of a team, even joining the team dinner the night before the race, is a new experience for a lot of the runners, or at least a long-forgotten one, and great to see. Even more amazing, though, is seeing residents, who have come to Beit T’Shuvah to change their lives, make a commitment to the team and a commitment to themselves,” Barbara explains. “People who might not have gotten out of the house for weeks before Beit T’Shuvah get up early every week to train with the team. Watching the runners’ faces on race day is amazing – it’s as though they can’t believe that the whole thing is happening, that they have a part in it.”
As though they can’t believe they’ve come from there to here.
Barbara has recruited some friends to walk with her as part of the Running4Recovery team. They know who they are.
If you would like to join in as a part of the Running4Recovery team or a supporter, please call Jillian Coventry at 310-204-5200 x 221 or email her at jcoventry@beittshuvah.org.
To support the members of the Beit T’Shuvah Running for Recovery Team please visit
https://www.firstgiving.com/event/beittshuvah/2019-Beit-T-Shuvah-Running4Recovery-Marathon-Team