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News  Eastern Massachusetts’ first running club for women probationers to launch this month

3/06/2020
  • Massachusetts Probation Service

Media Contact   for Eastern Massachusetts’ first running club for women probationers to launch this month

Coria Holland, Communications Director

Dorchester Municipal Court Probation Officer Lynne Todd, who is an avid runner, is launching a running club for women probationers called Dorchester Heart and Sole which will start March 12 and continue through May 14. Todd said she is hoping to start with a group of eight to 10 women and is seeking referrals to the group. There is no skill level required, according to Todd.

“I named it Dorchester Heart and Sole because I didn’t want to include the word ‘court’ in the title. I want it to be their running club. Running helps release endorphins. Studies show that it helps people suffering with addiction,” she said. “It would be great if it makes the women feel empowered. Perhaps, they can say to themselves ‘I can do this. I am strong.’”

Heart and Sole Club members will run at Pope John Paul Park in Dorchester every Thursday. They will be transported by vans provided by the Massachusetts Trial Court Community Service Program.

Todd has wanted to start a running club for women probationers for years, she said. She approached Dorchester Chief Probation Officer Brad Mc Nichols who approved it. The court’s First Justice James Coffey also supports this initiative, Mc Nichols said.

A local gym, Healthworks, offered to assist Todd by offering members of the running club a free membership and meeting space at the facility which is located less than a block away from the court. Healthworks then reached out to the 261 Fearless Foundation.

The foundation is named after Kathrine Switzer, the first woman runner in the Boston Marathon. Switzer’s bib number was 261 when she ran in the marathon more than 50 years ago. The foundation offered to provide certified running coaches, Adidas running shoes, and t-shirts inscribed with a heart-shaped logo made of sneaker laces and the words “Dorchester Heart and Sole, Powered by 261 Fearless.”

Media Contact   for Eastern Massachusetts’ first running club for women probationers to launch this month

  • Massachusetts Probation Service 

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