VIDEO – ONE RUN AT A TIME –
April 4, 2023 – “I’m in recovery myself. It’s been a couple of years plus, and it’s just been such an amazing experience. Just a sense of community I’ve never experienced,” said Boston Bulldogs member Chris Dalton. “I’d love someone to see this (interview) and realize that there is a solution. I lived quite a different life two and a half years plus ago, and it’s just been amazing.”
The Bulldogs have been running together for eight years, and 17 members will be running this year’s Boston Marathon to raise money that will help people struggling with addiction.
“It’s all mental, spiritual and physical for me. The more I’m taking care of one, the other ones fall,” said Boston Bulldogs member Adam Shurtleff.
Shurtleff said he has seen plenty of changes in his life after joining the Bulldogs.
“The father that I am, to the business that I do, to the personal relationships that I have,” he said.
Members of the running club said substance abuse and mental health issues skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which also changed the way people look at both issues.
“There’s a stigma that’s always followed addiction and mental health, but the truth is it’s your sister, it’s your boss, it’s your coworker,” said Megan Langlois, an inaugural member of the Boston Bulldogs. “The more we talk about it and the more we share that, we are just like you.
“I was struggling, and I kept having failed attempts at sobriety, so I thought: ‘Let’s give this a shot,’ and it has completely changed the trajectory of my life,” said Langlois, who is now married and has a young daughter.