Our Collective Stories

For most of her life, Leah Thompson would have never described herself as a runner. In fact, she strongly identified as the opposite. “I hated running,” she says. “I played soccer in high school, and any time we had running drills, I just didn’t enjoy it at all. It definitely didn’t feel like something that was for me.” But life has a way of gently shifting the stories we tell ourselves.

Derrick Adkins’ story doesn’t follow the path you might expect. On paper, it looks like a dream. He’s a 1995 World Champion. A 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 400-meter hurdles. A coach who has worked with elite athletes at Georgia Tech and Columbia University, and mentored Olympic champions like Angelo Taylor and Dalilah Muhammad. But behind the medals and milestones is a story that feels much more human.

Mental resilience often gets framed as something certain people simply “have,” but resilience research shows the opposite. Developing resilience is a dynamic process—something that grows through practice, repetition, and small choices that strengthen your ability to manage stress and handle life’s challenges with more confidence. In running and in everyday life, those small choices matter far more than the huge leaps we tend to admire from the outside.

Angela DePaul didn’t set out to become a half marathon runner. Like a lot of people, she started running for a much simpler reason. She needed a way to deal with stress. Now, she’s preparing to run the New York City Half Marathon with Team Still I Run. But her story started long before race bibs and training plans. It started with a few miles here and there during a stressful season of life. A Stress Outlet During College Angela went straight to college after high school to s

Mental health stigma is quieter than it used to be. But it hasn’t disappeared. Conversations about mental health are more common than they were a decade ago. Athletes talk about anxiety. CEOs talk about burnout. Friends text each other about therapy appointments. And still, many people with mental health challenges hesitate before they share what they’re going through.

Starting something new can feel intimidating, especially when it comes to running. There’s so much advice out there about pace, shoes, speed, distance, and the “right” way to train that it can feel overwhelming before you even lace up. At Still I Run, we approach running for beginners differently. We believe the most important step is simply putting one foot in front of the other. Whether your goal is your first run, a stress free 5K, or eventually a half marathon or marathon