My name is Mindy Briar and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to run the 2025 New York City Marathon on behalf of the Release Recovery Foundation. They are an amazing nonprofit dedicated to helping people access the treatment they need for mental health and substance use disorder—regardless of their financial circumstances.
I was selected to participate in RRF's Golden Bib program where I will be raising $15,000 to help TWO people get the life-saving care they need through a treatment center, but cannot afford.
This will be my very first marathon, and I’m honored to be running it in memory of two of the most important people in my life -- my brother, Nathan, and my mother, Debbie.
This past year has been one of the toughest I’ve faced yet. In April of 2024 my amazing mom lost her fight against Parkinson’s and dementia. She was an incredibly strong woman who faced bipolar disorder most of her life. She was a strong advocate for those who also struggled and often shared her inspiring stories to those around her. She was never ashamed - she wanted people to understand so that we as a whole could do better to support those with the disorder. She will always be my biggest role model and her loss has left a tremendous hole in my heart - she was my mother and best friend.
Her passing left a huge hole also in my brother, Nathan’s heart. Nathan had battled alcoholism for many years, and in the end, it was that battle that took him from us this March of 2025. It’s a painful truth, but it doesn’t define him. What defines him is his heart, his humor, his love for the people and things that brought him joy. He was more than his illness. He was my brother, someone who deserved more time, more love, and more peace than this world gave him.
Their stories are why I’m passionate about supporting Release Recovery Foundation’s mission—everyone deserves the chance to heal. As you can imagine this has been tough to watch and go through. I miss them more than anything. I’m extremely grateful for my amazing husband, Cameron (who also happens to be my running partner this past year!)…my wonderful dad, Tom, my moms incredible sisters and family, my husbands incredible family and our dear friends who have been there for us through this challenging year. Without these people - I wouldn’t be where I am today.
One of the ways I coped with the losses was by creating healthier habits in my life. To name a few - I started eating more nutrient rich foods and tracking what I was putting into my body. By doing this - I felt better inside. It’s not rocket science - but for me I had put this on the back burner for years! Next up was I started going to therapy -this has helped me mentally keep my mind above water…then there were simple things too like spending more time in my vegetable garden, walking my dogs more, volunteering, I took on less work, went to the gym and worked on strength training… and then came running in January of 2024.
I was never good at running. In fact most of my life I hated running! When I first started in November of 2023 I could barely run a mile… my body ached, I was out of breath and a 5K seemed like an absolutely crazy idea. BUT, slowly and surely I consistently ran adding on a little more each week. Eventually, I started losing weight/gaining muscle and the runs started to feel a little easier on my body. Pretty soon I was signing up for 5K’s, 10k’s, and then half marathons. Running was becoming a space for me to think clearly, zone out a bit from the sadness and focus on a goal (to finish the gosh darn run!). The NYC Marathon has always felt like a race I would never stand a chance doing. But when I read about the RRF non profit charity and what they do there - I knew that this year was the year I did something like this. That being said I'm incredibly honored to run for them this year!
Thank you so much for believing in this cause and helping me run with purpose. I will be sharing my journey this year on social media (Instagram: @mindybriar). From the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU for your support in helping raise funds for not just one but, TWO peoples treatment in a recovery center. KEEP GOING!
