Run Like a Girl

No one questioned the merit of the idea; it was just too ambitious and unreasonable. Carsyn Ide '27 wanted to organize a fundraising run, from scratch, in two months. "Let's try for next year," she was told. Ide politely pushed back. The unreasonable doesn't faze her.

#runlikeagirl was trending on social media. The expression, minus that hashtag, oozes with patronizing misogyny. But with the hashtag, the phrase was fueling a conversation. Why do girls run in the first place? Too often it's to survive.

One in five women experience sexual violence in their lifetime. That statistic, and the social hashtag, are both relevant in HNRS: Narratives of Sexual Violence (ENGL 490), a course taught by Shannon Draucker, Ph.D., associate professor of English. For her students' final project, Draucker challenges them to "make a change." Some students make flyers or social media posts; several others took on leadership roles in the annual Surviving Through Stories event put on by Title IX, the English Department, the Women's Center, and the Office of Health Promotion. The goal is for students to consider how their academic learning can promote the central Franciscan value of social justice. Ide decided to run.

"I saw that other runs were happening on campus like the Out of Darkness run. I wondered if I could pull off a run in April, which is sexual violence awareness month, and I'd tap in to the trend by naming it, 'Run Like a Girl.'"

As Ide quickly discovered, there are countless considerations - from insurance, to registration, to swag, to promotion - that need to be worked out. Ide didn't have experience in any of it, so she connected with people who did. The Delightful Run for Women has been holding training runs on campus this year, and Ide pitched her idea to the race organizers. They decided to partner up with Ide and took on many of the logistics. In just two months, Ide had more than 250 people registered and ready to run. Unfortunately, the person who mattered most was down in Florida.

"My mom experienced sexual violence, and she's the main reason I took up this cause. I'm from Florida, so I don't see her a lot, but I was calling her every week and giving her updates."

On the day of the race, Ide left her campus job in the President's Office, and walked back to her residence hall to get ready for the run. As she turned the corner to Padua Hall, she saw her mom sitting on a bench out front.

"She completely surprised me! The poor thing, she's from Florida and it was like 40 degrees out, and she must have been sitting there for 30 minutes. She came here straight from the airport. There are people in your life that believe in you and support you and show that in incredible ways. I was so happy to have her there."

Despite the unseasonably cool weather, the race was a huge success. The participants ran or walked a 1.5 mile-route around campus (emphasizing the one in five statistic). Each quarter of a mile, the participants came across another statistic about sexual violence. Runners and walkers were encouraged to give to the cause or donate a feminine hygiene product. In all, $2,500 in proceeds was gifted to the Unity House in Troy.

"Seeing this event come together was probably the most incredible and valuable experience of my life. We created this space to spread awareness and fight for justice, and it was amazing to see the community come together. Watching that happen before my eyes was just surreal."

CBS6 Albany and News10 ABC both covered the event, which Ide intends to make an annual April tradition. This year, the day after the race happened to be the day Ide was flying home to Florida for Easter break. She happened to be on the same flight as her mom.