I have chosen to run this year’s Chicago Marathon for multiple reasons. The first being that I am a survivor of Larry Nassar. This has been an event in my life that has taken years to heal from. I have finally reached a point where I view myself as a survivor and strong enough to no longer remain anonymous. I feel empowered to speak on my journey and show support for those who have dealt with sexual violence.

Another motivator to run the Chicago Marathon is I broke my back in high school which affected and ended my Gymnastics career at the start of college. I have battled dealing with the side effects of this injury for nearly ten years. I would like to prove to myself that this injury will not stop me from making such a huge personal accomplishment. This will also provide me with such empowerment that Larry Nassar was unable to take away my ability to be an accomplished athlete. I am doing so on behalf of TAOS; they represent every value that I find important as a survivor of sexual assault.