Last Friday, after two years of planning, 45 inmates at Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City came together and ran 39 laps around their prison yard, totalling 21.1 km–a half-marathon. The run marked a major milestone in their individual journeys to recovery and turning their lives around; local reporters were invited to cover the event.
Inspired by the San Quentin prison marathon
After being inspired by the 26.6 To Life documentary, which came out in 2023 and follows the San Quentin prison marathon, inmate Casey Vanderheuf pitched the idea to the Utah Department of Corrections as a method for recovering and finding purpose after addiction and substance abuse. The ‘Fit From Within’ run club was established, designed to improve inmates’ physical and mental health by running 1,000 miles a year, and took over managing the half-marathon event; the club now has 70 participants.
Discovering a love for running
At Friday’s event, Vanderheuf, whose running journey began in prison and has contributed substantially to his recovery, took the win, surpassing his 1:40 race-day goal to clock 1 hour, 37 minutes. He’s now aiming to qualify for the 2026 Boston Marathon. “When I started running, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I started feeling better,” Vanderheuf told media. “It feels great to come back to life.” The inmate and run club founder will be released on parole on Tuesday.
New prison marathon documentary chronicles San Quentin’s 1,000 Mile Club
Inmate Jaime Salinas also made a simple but moving gesture, running while pushing fellow inmate Howard Nelson in a wheelchair. Staff and volunteers ran alongside the inmates for portions of the race; even inmates who weren’t running still came out to cheer. According to organizers, running in the club is a privilege awarded for good behaviour; Ellie Madenberg, Department of Corrections recreation therapist, has observed “signs of decreasing depression and anxiety in the surveys runners fill out before and after a race.”
The inmates began training for the 21.1-km race last November, and the run club held its first mile run in January, hosting monthly runs since then. The participants are now preparing for a marathon, set for November.
