MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
People in prison for breaking laws don't usually meet face-to-face with the people who make the laws. But now, those on both sides of one prison's walls are getting together as equals - as runners. In Salt Lake City, member station KUER's Mary-Kate Wilson explains.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Ready (ph)?
MARY-KATE WILSON, BYLINE: Just after 9 o'clock in the morning, 50 runners circle a fenced exercise yard. It's cloudy and cool. There's a light breeze off of the Great Salt Lake. We're at the Utah State Correctional Facility. Out front is Casey Vanderhoef, in a pair of prison-issued white sneakers. A handful of other runners, supporters from outside the facility, jog in everyday gear. Two years ago, Vanderhoef saw a documentary called "26.2 To Life," about a running club at San Quentin prison in California.
CASEY VANDERHOEF: I thought, man, we could do that here. We have the facility. We have the willingness of staff.
WILSON: He organized a club called Fit From Within.
VANDERHOEF: And so we pitched the idea of starting a running club.
(CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Good job, (inaudible).
WILSON: Today, members are running 39 laps to complete a half marathon. Prison staff call out encouragement and cross off runners' names after each lap. The runners usually train independently, but milestone distances are celebrations for the group. Organizing the half marathon is a huge undertaking for Vanderhoef and the correctional facility.
VANDERHOEF: Usually, guys that aren't allowed to associate together safely, but here, everyone's together, having a great time bonding, coming together as humans instead of inmates.
WILSON: Family, officers and elected officials run alongside the incarcerated club members. Vanderhoef says it brings incarcerated and civilian athletes together.
VANDERHOEF: It's just another way to feel seen, feel loved, as we work to make sure we return men back to their families in a better state than when they came in.
WILSON: Annie Snyder, a therapist at the prison, has done surveys on prisoner mental health after running.
ANNIE SNYDER: We actually have data to prove that running is decreasing stress, depression and anxiety in their lives. And this is benefiting them. And it gives them a sense of purpose, something to do, a group to be a part of.
WILSON: But not everyone who runs the half marathon will return home. Some men committed nonviolent crimes, while others are in for life or even on death row. Vanderhoef says the club transforms the prison culture, especially for those with longer sentences.
VANDERHOEF: I have a really good friend who said something to me the other day. He said, I have life without parole, not life without purpose. And I'm a big believer that men can find purpose wherever they're at, and men do that in here as well.
WILSON: Civilians and incarcerated people cheer side-by-side, waving handmade signs, as Vanderhoef is the first to cross the finish line.
(CHEERING)
VANDERHOEF: We feel very seen. Sometimes, when we're in prison, every - the - society feels very far away. But when we have events like this, we feel the love, and we know we have people out there cheering for us.
WILSON: Vanderhoef calls out to Utah state Representative Katy Hall by name. She ran the half marathon, too. Together, they watch fellow runners pass.
KATY HALL: They're just people. These could be your neighbors. These could be your kids, your parents - anybody that's in here. And we want them to be able to get out of here and be a part of society again.
WILSON: Vanderhoef is set to be released on parole following the race. He hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but that doesn't mean the club is over.
HALL: There's a lot of people I've talked to that have gotten out already, and they're like, we want to come back and run the marathon in November.
WILSON: The club expects a huge turnout. At least 70 men from the prison are planning to race. For NPR News, I'm Mary-Kate Wilson in Salt Lake City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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