Help me support the Foley Foundation by making a contribution if you can or run or walk yourself to raise awareness for wrongful detentions.
Why #IRunForJim
My brother, Paul Whelan, was wrongfully detained by the Russian government for nearly 6 years. I walk to honor the support the Foley Foundation and other groups, like Hostage US, provided my family throughout that time, and to keep fresh the memory of others who remain hostages, wrongfully detained, all over the world. In particular, this year I walk with Karina Tsurkan in mind, a Russian arrested and convicted around the same time as my brother and who remains wrongfully detained nearly 7 years later.
If you want to run or walk too, and want to be on a team and don't have one already, let me know and we can band together and create a virtual one.
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Past Freedom Run/Walk Photos
2022 Freedom Run
David Whelan standing in front of a San Diego Trolley as he completes his virtual Freedom Run/Walk.
2023 Foley Freedom Run Team Whelan Sign in Manchester (MI) Store Front
We made signs for some family members and friends to hold up where they were participating in the virtual run in Michigan. Some storekeepers kept the signs and posted them in their windows.
David Whelan in front of Buckingham Fountain in Chicago on October 17, 2026. He had just completed a 8 mile walk on the Lakeshore Trail. He walked in honor of Jim Foley, and with the hope that wrongful detainees like Karina Tsurkan and others held by Russia's government are freed soon.