Recovery run club in Raleigh helps people find community at a time they need it the most

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Run clubs have exploded in popularity in recent years, and Raleigh is no exception. There's one run club in particular that's helping people at a time when they need community the most - it's held outside of a drug and alcohol addiction resource center called Healing Transitions every Tuesday night.

Brian Talty is a regular at Healing Transitions Recovery Run Club. His recovery journey began in 2019.

"Finishing a run here, is a lot like what we're doing in there," Talty told ABC11, gesturing to the Healing Transitions building.

"You come in here and you've been using drugs and alcohol for a decade, two decades, three decades. There's no way in the world you think you can stop. Out here, these guys come out here and they can't run a quarter mile, and I'm telling them they can."

He knows how isolating recovery can be.

"When I was using by myself, drinking by myself, sitting by myself, when I burned all the bridges, nobody wanted to be around me. So, I was lonely all the time," Talty said.

Community is a big part of what helped him through the years, and he wants to help create that for others.

"The saying in recovery is 'we only keep what we have by giving it away'. So, it's an honor for me to be able to come back here to hang out with these guys, to visit the place that saved my life, to share my story with them," Talty said.

Sarah Rapp is one of the club's organizers, she said not everyone is on board to lace up at first.

"You're met with a lot of hesitation, but at the end of it, they're high fiving you. They're connecting in a special way other than what they would experience on the inside," Rapp told ABC11.

The Recovery Run Club is open to everyone to help build community and connect people in recovery with allies and positive role models. If you'd like to join them, they meet at 6:00 p.m. every Tuesday night at the front steps of Healing Transitions at 1251 Goode Street in Raleigh. It's open to all skill levels and the route runs through Dorothea Dix Park.

For more information on Healing Transitions, click here.