Wild Ideas Worth Living · Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Alison Mariella Désir found that training for her first marathon in 2012 significantly improved her mental health, providing structure and a sense of progress during a difficult period. She noticed she was one of the few Black women participating and realized the sport could benefit more people like her. This realization spurred her to build community around running.
“And training for this marathon literally gave me life: Like all of a sudden I had a reason to leave my apartment. I had a training plan. I had concrete things to do with my life.”
“And every week I could see progress, which I think is just like the most beautiful thing about any endurance sport is that you you try your hardest and you get results and it's like, super helpful not just for your physicality but also for your mental health.”
“And that is what launched me into building community. Because I loved my experience, but what I noticed is that I was one of very few black people, black women there. And I knew that more people like me could benefit from the sport.”