Running is truly a metaphor for life. Anne Mahlum, founder of the homeless running program Back on My Feet believes so since there is always another mile to run, and each mile is covered one step at a time.

No stranger to early morning runs, the veteran marathoner Mahlum often found herself being cheered on by the homeless of Philly. One morning, she asked herself this question:

Why am I running past these guys? I'm moving my life forward every day – and these guys are standing in the same spot.

Her answer was to found Back On My Feet, a running group for the homeless. The requirements to join in the fun of the running group are simple, folks must live in one of the three facilities affiliated with the organization and be clean and sober for 30 days. Members receive new running gear, shoes and clothes, and the group runs three mornings a week starting around 6:00 a.m. The 54 homeless members and the 2,500 volunteers together have logged over 5,000 miles. Impressive indeed!

There's more so read more.

Mahlum hopes to expand Back On My Feet to include at least 10 Philadelphia shelters before taking the program to other cities. She's a practical woman who knows that a pair of running shoes is a far cry from a place to live, but the discipline and focus of running can definitely translate into the real world. And her running group is a support group as well; it even has a job training program as a partner.

I say, lace up and take it to the streets!

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