Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct a spelling error. 

Health Promotion (Student Life) and Intramural Sports (Rec Sports) will host their third annual Run for Recovery 5k race followed by a trauma-informed Sober Yoga class for the first time on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 4.

Recovery is a continuous process that requires healing on multiple levels, with physical exercise being a natural way to release dopamine and mend the effects of drug or alcohol addiction, according to the Texas A&M Run for Recovery website. The event is not restricted to those in recovery. Rather, it is open to students or community members who want to show support for those in recovery and those who merely want to participate.

“We have students at A&M who need help and support,” Health Promotion Specialist for Student Life at A&M Megan Buck said. 

Recovery awareness work began at Health Promotion before Buck started her position, but she wanted to do something big to raise awareness for recovery efforts, Buck said.

“To be in recovery, all of the areas of wellness need to be maintained to support your well-being overall,” Buck said. “A lot of people in recovery utilize fitness and physical activity in general to make sure they are centered and okay as a person.”

Run for Recovery has evolved since it started in 2021, though the barebones remain the same, Buck said. The traditional route through west campus followed by a celebration on the terrace of the Student Rec Center will be supplemented with new and improved decorations and chocolate milk for runners, as highly requested by previous participants, Buck said.
“This year we are changing up the shirt design that people get for signing up,” Buck said. “We are also offering a free Sober Yoga class at 10 a.m. so people can do the whole run and then participate in yoga to cool down and reset for the day. It’s open to anybody, even if you’re not a runner, don’t want to run, don’t want to wake up that early, you can still participate in the Sober Yoga class.”

Though Sober Yoga is normally offered in September during National Recovery Month, it was combined with Run for Recovery this year to create a recovery fest, Buck said. Participants are encouraged to abstain from nicotine, alcohol, caffeine or anything else addictive for three days prior to the event. Though not required, it does add to the Sober Yoga experience and is freeing, Buck said.

“The class is run by Anna Taggart, who works in Rec Sports; she is certified to give trauma-informed yoga,” Buck said. “We offer trauma-informed yoga as part of a few of our health themes. She creates a really peaceful, welcoming, empowering space. Some elements that make it trauma-informed are that there is way less of a call to push yourself further than you are comfortable. It is super in your control, and is focused on you as a participant and how it feels intuitively to move your body.”

This year, there will also be a banner for Run for Recovery that will display support and resources available to those in recovery, Health Promotion Specialist for Student Services Jon Hill said. People will be encouraged to sign and write encouraging messages or words of support, Hill said.

“Something else that’s new that we are doing this year is a group contest, if you want to dress up,” Hill said. “I think it adds a little bit of flair and is fun. If you love running 5ks, that’s great, but if you don’t, it puts some excitement into it, to be able to dress up and do something with your friends; it’s an experience.”

While there have been several 5ks on campus, there hasn’t been a whole lot for the recovery community, Hill said. The stress of tests and life as a college student might convince some that even if you drink heavily in college, everything will be fine after you graduate, but to walk around campus and see support for recovery will break down the stigma, Hill said.

“The spotlight is important,” Hill said. “It’s for a good cause. It might not necessarily be that the folks that are running are in recovery; I think it shows a level of recognition that recovery is important, and that this campus supports that. Hopefully, folks that have been impacted or are potentially a member of the recovery community can find a sense of belonging.”

To learn more about Run for Recovery, visit their website.