A few weekends ago, I ran my first 5k for a girl named Kali.
I’m a little late on this post since I started my new job the weekend after, but I really wanted to share my experience and I was really proud of how I did.
My sister asked me back in May if I would want to run a 5K with her, specifically one called Race for Refuge. I’ve been wanting to run one for a while now, knowing that it would motivate me to be more consistent with my running and just for the overall experience. So we signed up. Race for Refuge is sponsored by the Covering House, an organization that provide physical and emotional relief from sexual abuse and exploitation. So all money fundraised goes directly to them.
While I’ve never been directly connected to sex-trafficking or human-trafficking, it has always been an issue near to my heart. So as I talked about the race to my parents and friends, they wanted to sign up, too! They signed up for the walk instead, but it was encouraging knowing that they were doing it with me and that so many people also wanted to give their time and money to such a great cause.
We picked up the race packets the day before the race. Inside were some fliers for some of the sponsors, a reusable grocery tote, a couple pens, and then the story of a girl that the Covering House helped. Each runner received the name and story of a different girl.
I raced for Kali, a girl who had experienced sexual abuse since a mere six-years-old. At seventeen, her so-called boyfriend forced her into prostitution for three years until she escaped. While I don’t know the rest of Kali’s story, and I don’t know her personally, I was so honored to be able to race for her.
It was a beautiful morning for a race. It stayed right around 70 degree Fahrenheit so it wasn’t too warm. I wasn’t as prepared for the race as I would have like to have been, but since it was my first one, I just wanted to finish. I didn’t have a specific time I wanted to beat; just finish.
The race began at 8:00 A.M and there were more people participating than I was expecting. I had forgotten my headphones so I wouldn’t be able to listen to music, but it wasn’t a huge deal. The first mile was pretty easy and I felt good. But after about a mile and a fourth, my left leg started to hurt. I’ve been dealing with some leg pain while running since last summer so I was really peeved that it was starting to bother me again. That made the rest of the run really, really difficult.
At about mile two, my right leg started to hurt. This was new, because only my left leg ever bothered me before. That last mile was the worst I have ever felt while running. But I kept thinking about how much I wanted to finish and I thought about who I was running for, and after what felt like a marathon, I finally finished.
I finished in 36:20, which may not seem particularly remarkable, but it is now my new personal best! I’m an extremely slow runner, so I was just proud that I finished and that I wasn’t the last to finish, haha! I actually finished about right in the middle of all the runners, so that was quite an accomplishment for me! 
I’d like to another 5k eventually, but I feel like I need to get my leg pain sorted out first. Hopefully I will be able to run more 5Ks in the future!
Oh, wow. Congrats on doing your first 5k. And I give you mad kudos for running for Kali. Her story has touched me, and I think doing fundraiser things for people directly gives you more motivation to do so. Thank you for doing it for Kali, Becca! While I may not ever RUN a 5k myself, I can certainly walk it! I may look into seeing if there are such 5k walks out there I can do for charity. I can definitely handle that over running
I am so proud of you for doing this Becca, you go girl! 5k is an achievement and the whole run was in honour of a heartbreaking story, you should definitely be proud of yourself and treat yourself with lots of food and rest after that
I would love to run a race – I’ve been looking to do one when I’m much fitter next year 
Well done again! <3
I love runs that donate to charities!
They make it more fun. I did a 5K with my sister a year ago but it wasn’t timed and it was a color run. I could never do a timed run, I’m not a good runner. LOL.
Do you run a lot? 7 minutes per kilometer is really good; it sounds like you run a lot.
If you’re not afraid of getting dirty, you should do a charity mud run. I heard those are fun!
Congratulations on doing your first 5K Becca!
It sounds really fun and it’s great that you’re doing this for a cause too.
It’s great that you were still determined to finish the race despite the pain you were experiencing. I think it’s an accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself for being able to finish!
If you keep on running I think you will only get better. Well done and congratulations again 
Congrats on finishing your first 5k! That’s awesome that it was for such a great cause. I’m the same as you. Though I’ve never been directly connected to sexual abuse and exploitation, it is something that matters to me, and I’ve been donating to an organization every year that helps people affected by it.
I like how each runner was running for a specific person. That’s so sad that Kali had to go through that experience and at such a young age too
I think 36:20 is a good time by the way! You should totally be proud of that!
Congratulations on doing your first 5k
I can’t imagine myself running 5k, but I’m sure that the end would be so gratifying. It’s even more satisfying when you know the end product is going toward a helping people. Sorry you had to go through the pain, but it’s still such a great accomplishment. Here’s to more 5Ks!
Btw, congratulations on your new job!
Congratulations on finishing the 5k! You ran for a great cause and I am proud of you. Despite the pain in the middle of the run, you did well with finishing the run. Kali’s story is very saddening. I’m sure she is enlightened that you ran for her cause
Aww, that is so wonderful. It’s great that you were able to hear the story behind one girl, and to be able to race for them. It’s great you could find that motivation to finish. <3 <3 <3 <3
Congratulations on the running and completing the race and what a wonderful cause. I’m sorry you were having problems with your legs though, and I hope you do manage to find the cause and solve the issues so that you can keep running
What an amazing reason to run a race. Very very cool. Good for you! Your timing was perfect.