RIP Tiffany #PRGRUNSFORTIFFANY

Domestic Violence - get informed, get help, get support.

I am a member of the Pathetic Runners Group on Facebook.  It is a great group of ultra endurance, marathon to the I finally ran 1 mile continuously runners.  This is a fun group full of good humor, lots of great tips and camaraderie.

There was a poster in the group Tiffany, who was writing about being in an abusive relationship.  All of us encouraging her to seek help, to take the steps to leave.  With four children in the mix, things were hard for her.  She got into running as a first step for her, one of her posts mentioned that her husband was upset with her changing for a healthier lifestyle.

Her posts were funny.  They were exactly what the group was looking for - "pathetic."  She used the group for support, then posted a picture of her crossing the finish line of her first 5K.

"Well if you ever wondered what a Stevie Wonder look alike runs here it is. Pathetic. I'm obviously not the prettiest of runners but my 5K time was 33:12. Only been running for a few months."
  
This post came in September when she made her decision.
"Okay fellow pathetics. You probably remember me from the sunglasses and other crappy husband issues. I have asked him for a divorce and hoping he will move out without Incident. Tonight he told my 13 year old daughter that he was going to get a new wife with kids that were better. I need prayers that I get thru this and fir strength.

Her last post?  "Maybe that escalated rather quickly."

Now I get up this morning and find out that her husband killed her and her father, leaving four children without a mother, and a online group wondering why?

You see, to many people, online friends, though we never have met, are still just that  - friends.  We support each other, we open up about situations in our lives and through our friends AND online friends we make decisions.  There are many times when we read a post by a random person in our group, and we cry with them.  We show them there are people that support them.  It could be taking that first step out the door, or it could be a complete change of life.  Tiffany made a decision to start running, getting healthy for her children.  She then took the next step in removing an abusive spouse from her life, only to have it tragically taken from her.

The outpouring of support in this group has brought me to tears as we all go out and run a few for Tiffany, many of us never knowing her in real life but connected to her in our virtual lives.  The sound of footsteps as I run makes me think, "is someone running with me?"

So if you are thinking of going for a run, then do it for Tiffany.  We are using the hashtag #PRGRUNSFORTIFFANY and have set up a memorial fund for her poor mother, someone I may not know but has lost a husband and a daughter.  Tiffany once posted that "running helps me deal with all the stress of life" now she can run fast and free.

If you wish to donate, here's the link:  http://www.gofundme.com/hi7org