Around 50 men jogged around a circular blacktop while music played and cheers erupted as they each completed 39 laps, equal to a half-marathon.
Lawmakers and law enforcement occasionally joined them on a lap, inside the chain-link barbed wire fencing.
Inmates at the Utah State Correctional Facility on Friday morning participated in the first-ever Fit From Within half-marathon. Many considered their involvement “life-changing.”
Alfredo Lolani said that being able to collaborate with officers, health care professionals, state legislators and other inmates allowed them to “feel like human beings,” as they’ve worked toward their marathon race, set for this November.
The genesis of the idea came from the documentary “26.2 to Life,” a story about men being detained in Santa Barbara, California, who are members of the 1000 Mile Club, the prison’s long-distance running club. State Rep. Katy Hall, R-South Ogden, said she watched the film on a flight, and wondered if it could be done in Utah.
With the help of Brian Redd, the executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections and the Division of Correctional Health Services, which oversees the running club —a division of the Department of Health & Human Services that provides healthcare within the prison —the program was set into motion.
Running toward redemption
Lolani emphasized the importance of providing incarcerated individuals like himself with outlets that foster a sense of purpose, as these can have both positive impacts on prison culture and society outside of confinement.
Both he and his “hype-man,” fellow inmate Alex Mendoza, mentioned that the significant mental health improvements from the training have boosted morale for the men involved.
Annie Snyder and Ellie Madenberger, recreation therapists at the correctional facility, have been studying the benefits of running for the mental well-being of the inmates. Their surveys, administered before and after exercise, show reductions in anxiety and stress levels, they said, as it gives the men a healthy outlet and promotes community and healthy living.
Lolani noted that the community aspect has helped build relationships that probably wouldn’t have formed without the club. He observed inmates on the track — some sex offenders, murderers and gang members — who are usually labeled and tend to self-segregate. But this event brought them together.
The camaraderie was very apparent, especially for Howard Nelson, who, with Stage 4 liver disease and a type of blood cancer, was pushed via wheelchair by his fellow inmates through the race.
“We all seem like a bunch of tattooed tough guys,” he told the Deseret News, “but any positive lifeline they give us, we’ll take it, we’ll work together.” He pointed to a tattoo on his hand with thick black lettering that read “CTR,” meaning “choose the right.”
“I live my life by this,” he said.
The winner of the race, Casey Vanderhoef, ran his half marathon in about 99 minutes. He said he was also inspired by the film “26.2 To Life.” He told the Deseret News that he did it for his son, Blake, who had his tonsils removed the day before. On Tuesday, he’ll be celebrating his parole and his 21st wedding anniversary.
“Getting arrested saved my life,” Vanderhoef said, but added that preparing over the last year for this event and bonding with the men as they worked toward their goal, saved him in other ways. “I just kept running and didn’t hate myself anymore. I’m 47 and still believe I have a lot of life left in me.”
The next goal, he added, is the Boston Marathon.
