Going the Distance: Running gives teen new direction
People run for a variety of reasons, but for one Bronx teen, running has helped her completely change the direction of her life. Ashley Benitez, 19, says just six months ago her life was about drinking,
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Oct 1, 2015, 3:57 PM
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Updated 3,374 days ago
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People run for a variety of reasons, but for one Bronx teen, running has helped her completely change the direction of her life.
Ashley Benitez, 19, says just six months ago her life was about drinking, drugs and partying.
She says that lifestyle led to her getting arrested and subsequently ending up at Odyssey House on Lafayette Avenue, where during week one of her treatment program, she heard about a running club.
The club called 'Run For Your Life' consists of Benitez and 13 other Odyssey House clients who are training to run in the New York City marathon on Nov. 1.
Benitez says running helped refocus her life and she has plans to start college in the spring.
She says, "Running and life goes hand in hand, you have obstacles which, you can choose to run around or run through them, or you can just keep running."
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