Today I ran for Sherry Arnold. I don't know Sherry. Never have met her. Never even knew of her til January 7th, 2012. I read the beginning of her story on the internet. Sherry, a 43 year old Mother and Teacher was missing. Her running shoe was found on the side of the road a mile from her Sydney, Montana home. I followed the story day in and day out til it was discovered that Sherry had not only been abducted but also murdered while out on a solo run. I don't know Sherry, but her story stuck with me the moment I heard it. I have carried Sherry with me on every run since then. Today a special virtual run was set up in honor of Sherry. Jessica Willis and I printed out running bibs in honor of Sherry and took off to our favorite trail. It was an emotional five miles. There were moments of joy, moments of sadness, and definitely moments of anger. It makes me angry that a woman can't step out her door for a solo run without having to worry about her safety beyond a running injury. I have resolved to never let the fear keep me from running outside where I love to run. Of course I will be smart and take every safety precaution but I WILL NOT allow fear to keep me from doing what I love. This run is for you Sherry.
