Running Free Alaska provides a healthy outlet for women who are incarcerated or recently released from Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. The annual Running Free 4-Miler bridges the local community and diminishes stereotypes.

(Feature photo by Brandon Jones, Superintendent of HMCC)

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While pursuing a counseling psychology graduate degree, Tim Alderson was inspired by a running program he read about at a women’s prison in Kansas. During an internship at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Alaska in 2012, he helped develop a similar program, Running Free Alaska. Two coaches led a 12-week training session, and Tim published a thesis on the impacts of a structured running program for incarcerated women.

Today, Running Free Alaska (RFA) continues to thrive.

The only women’s prison in the state, Hiland houses about 350-400 women at any given time, explains Lisa Keller, RFA’s general manager and one of the original coaches. She says about 70 people participate in each session, which starts in late May/early June and runs through October; 30-40 typically run in the final race.

The original program, Running Free on the Inside, is now joined by other initiatives: Running Free on the Outside, the ‘Peak a Week’ summer hiking program, a 4-mile community race supported by Skinny Raven Sports, and Jackie’s Closet which accepts lightly used or new running gear donations for Running Free on the Outside program participants.

Kelley Jansen, president of the board of directors for RFA, says they’re continuing to expand on programming for women who have been released from Hiland. Plans include a transitional housing program to provide a sober community for housemates to continue their running and recovery journeys.

Kelley has been involved with RFA since January 2020 and became president in January 2024. She leads the organization with nine other board members, 17 coaches, and about a dozen volunteers.

“There is an over-representation of Alaska Native women incarcerated at Hiland, and our board members represent nearly half of these two groups — Alaska Native or formerly incarcerated,” says Kelley, who is an Alaska Native, Unangax̂ and Sugpiaq, and an enrolled member of the Ninilchik Tribe of Alaska.

“This representation in our governing body is important because it helps us to understand the issues that women face at Hiland and during re-entry and provide a deeper sense of support and understanding,” she explains.

Two former Running Free on the Inside participants are also on the board. One of them is Bonnie Moore who first joined the program in 2017.

“From the moment I hit the track, I felt a freedom I had never felt before,” Bonnie shares. “RFA became my outlet, my process, a vortex that allowed me to travel through my past and into the future …. [It] provided a way out and a way forward, giving me my life back.”

Below, Kelley and Lisa share more on Running Free Alaska’s positive influences on women runners incarcerated at Hiland and how the 4-mile race bridges Hiland with the local community, helping to diminish negative stereotypes.

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In what ways does Running Free on the Inside help women who are incarcerated?

Kelley Jansen: I think RFA gives women a community and identity apart from being an inmate — they are runners. Runners are healthy, they set goals, they have mental and physical strength, they have friends who are also runners and that embody these qualities, too. Being part of the running community comes with a sense of belonging and pride.

Many people who become incarcerated got there because of some level of personal distress and maladaptive coping skills, so running gives people a safe and productive emotional outlet that they can do even after they are released. I truly think that fostering a strong community and identity as a runner provides a sense of stability that some women at Hiland have never felt before.

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How did the Running Free on the Outside program develop?

Lisa Keller: The Outside program was formalized during COVID. However, since the beginning, if a runner contacted us upon release, we mentored them in the community and provided them with things they needed for running.

Getting released from prison comes with a lot of uncertainty, and Running Free on the Outside gives participants a sense of continuity and familiarity when they’re released. The outside program provides financial assistance for race fees, rides, and meet-ups at local races and weekly scheduled hikes in the summer. [It also] provides runners with running clothing and gear.

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What’s the Running Free 4-Miler, and how does it connect the community with the correctional center?

Kelley Jansen: The 4-miler is the highlight of the year for our runners on the inside as well as the local running community. The course is not open to the public at any other time, so it’s a very unique experience. The course starts at Eagle River High School and circles the yard at Hiland, where the women who are incarcerated come cheer on community runners with handmade signs along the fence. A few of our Inside participants even staff the water station on the course!

It’s honestly one of the most inspiring races I’ve ever done. The women on the inside cheer so hard for our alumni who are running the race on the outside. There are often a lot of happy tears when our alumni run by — on both sides of the fence.

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How has Running Free Alaska impacted the community at large?

Kelley Jansen: The women who are incarcerated may have gotten there by doing something to harm the community, and this program is a bidirectional reparation in so many ways. Coaches, board members, and program members invest a lot of time in the program working toward a common goal.

I think the program removes stereotypes by providing exposure. It reminds us that women who are incarcerated are human. They’re moms, grandmas, sisters, daughters, aunties, spouses — and they are all those things plus runners.

The community race, especially, provides community members a small glimpse into the lives of inmates and shows us how a common interest and goal can shatter past troubles. We’re always moving forward when we are running, and we are moving forward together. Simple exposure to the program and its participants helps with empathy and understanding.

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What other aspects make Running Free Alaska special to be a part of?

Lisa Keller: I love interacting with the runners inside Hiland and seeing how a significant number of runners just ‘get it.’ Not everyone connects with running, but for those who do, there is nothing like it. The amount of personal and social growth I have seen among our runners is just amazing.

I also love seeing their success on the outside, once they are released. The fact that we have two board members who are former runners at Hiland speaks to the impact the program has on them.

Although it seems counterintuitive, I love how we are the first program our alumni seek out if they are re-incarcerated. They make a beeline for our program because they know it makes a difference in their mental health and ability to survive incarceration. They also know we will not judge them for returning to prison, and we will continue to support them on their journey to a healthy life.

At the end of each season, we have awards. One is ‘most inspirational,’ voted on by the runners. Usually, half of the runners get at least one vote, which shows how supportive the runners are of each other and that they find inspiration in each other.

Learn more about Running Free Alaska.

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