Running Free Alaska Presents
Heart & Sole Fundraiser

We offer programs to women currently incarcerated at Highland Mountain Correctional Center, as well as continued support and opportunities once they reenter the community.

Running Free on the Inside

Running Free has a year-around presence at Hiland. Fifteen volunteer coaches hold practices three times a week in a winter session that runs January - May and a summer session that runs June - October. The winter session culminates in a 5K and 10K race and the summer session culminates in a 5K, 10K and half-marathon race. In the shoulder season, November - December, there is a conditioning session.

Running Free on the Outside

Once our runners are released, we welcome them into the Anchorage running community. We pay for race entry fees for three years, provide a pair of shoes and a jog bra, and outfit them in running gear from our collection of donated gently-used running clothes (also known as Jackie's Closet).

One of our upcoming projects is opening a transitional house for women who have participated in Running Free Alaska during their incarceration and are now being released from a correctional institution.

What will be unique about our transition house is the emphasis on physical activity as a primary means of recovery and community integration. There is no other transitional program in the state, possibly the nation, that has used this approach for re-entry.

This transition house will fill a critical gap in the re-entry services available to women coming out of prison in Alaska. With comprehensive services aimed at housing, personal development, physical fitness, and job readiness, our goals are to help women overcome barriers to successful reintegration, reduce recidivism, and support them in creating sustainable, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

By building community partnerships, offering strong mentorship, and implementing effective programs, this transition home will play a crucial role in transforming the lives of incarcerated women for the better.