Run is not a word you usually want to associate with a prison. Yet a running program at Wilsonville’s Coffee Creek Correctional Facility offers women a different kind of an escape.

“It allows them to accomplish something many never thought possible,” said Trisha Swanson, founder of Reason to Run, a nonprofit that works with volunteers who go into the prison to help women learn to run.

The recurring two-month program culminates in a 5K run – 3.1 miles — inside the prison yard with fellow inmates cheering runners from the sidelines. When the last, and slowest, runner crosses the finish line, all the inmates in the yard run behind her as a show of support.

“Race day is great,” said Swanson. “Runners get a race bib, have photos taken, and receive an official certificate of accomplishment. Many are so proud that they mail the certificate to their families.”

Since the program began in 2011, more than 800 inmates have completed the run. For her work, Swanson was named the institution’s 2015 volunteer of the year. Her honor, presented by the prison superintendent, noted, “Your groups of runners provide an awesome support system for each other and link them to resources in the community.”

The program began after Swanson visited the prison while volunteering with Oregon Women's Prison Ministry, a Christian organization providing inmates with weekly church services. When inmates learned Swanson was a runner, completing half-marathons, marathons and ultra-marathons, they told her they, too, wanted to run.

“I promised I’d help,” she said. “I’m a certified running coach, and I love to share running with people.”

Swanson asked prison officials if she could hold a race for inmates inside the prison. After debating the pros and cons of the idea, they gave her permission to hold a single 5K in the prison. Each inmate who wanted to participate had to pay $5. The event raised $400, and the money was donated to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which fights breast cancer.

The event was so successful that officials eventually asked Swanson if she’d start a prison running group. She recruited friends, all experienced runners, who were interviewed, vetted and required to undergo formal training with the Oregon Department of Corrections. New volunteers go through the same process. Each week, volunteers come to the prison to work not only on running, but also to offer tips on nutrition and ways to get stronger.

“Many of the inmates started running for weight and health issues,” Swanson said. “Then they realized running helped with stress. When you run, endorphins produce a natural high that helps with anxiety.”

It takes 10 laps to run a mile on the paved prison track. At the start of each session, some inmates can manage only half a lap before they have to stop.

“That’s fine,” Swanson said. “We build them up. No outside clothes are allowed in prison. If a woman has money, she can buy running shoes at the canteen; otherwise they run in state-issued shoes.”

After race day, the volunteers take a three-week break, and then sessions start again.

“These women inspire me,” Swanson said. “They push through the hard stuff. They make me proud. For some, this is the first time they’ve successfully finished anything in their life.”

When inmates in the running program are released from prison, Reason to Run gives them running shoes donated by the Portland Running Company, running bras donated from Target and running socks donated from the Oregon Road Runners Club.

Swanson hopes that the internal power the women discovered while running carries over once they return to the pressures of the outside world. When possible, Swanson puts former inmates in touch with volunteers in cities across Oregon.

Women who return to the Portland area and want to continue running can work with Keegan Chastain, a Reason to Run volunteer who knows the criminal life.

“In my 20s I was in and out of jail,” said Chastain, now 36. “Drugs, drinking and poor choices. I couldn’t find a way to change my behavior. In jail, I learned I was no different than anyone else. I learned about self-respect. They say that light enters the space where there is a wound.”

While in a county jail, Chastain hit bottom and vowed to find a new path when released. She’s now married, has three young children and is a stay-at-home mom.

Because of her crimes, her driver’s license was revoked. Two years ago, impatient, she drove anyway, was caught and given probation.

“When I couldn’t drive, I told people I had a medical condition,” she said, adding that she can eventually apply to have her license reinstated. “When I messed up and drove, I realized I was lying to myself. I had to own my past, accept it and move on. Now my husband drives, or I take an Uber or a bus.”

Because of her criminal record, Chastain is not allowed to volunteer in the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. An avid runner, she meets inmates after they are released.

“I’m a running mentor,” she said. “We go on runs. I help them get involved in organized runs and train. Running does for them what it does for me. We all have a strength within us. We just have to find and nurture it.”

Sumer Smith said she changed her life after meeting Swanson in 2013 while in prison.

“I was in for ID theft,” she said. “I was also an addict, which drove my crimes. I was sentenced to two years. I heard about the running program and thought why not try it. I’ve got nothing but time.”

Smith lost weight and got in shape, and she learned something else from Swanson.

“Trisha is an amazing woman of God,” said Smith, 42. “All of us women had been kind of kicked to the side. She believed in us and offered a bit of grace and love.”

Now a union carpenter living in Molalla, Smith runs four miles every other day. She’s been on a Hood to Coast team and participates in races and events around the metro area.

“I left prison a better woman because of that running program,” she said. “It changed my life.”

Learn more about Reason to Run at reasontorun.com.

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503-221-8224

@thallmanjr

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