by A weekly running club behind the walls of HMP Grampian in Peterhead is going from strength to strength after being credited with transforming the wellbeing of people in detention.
“Runforever” is a charitable organization founded in March 2023 by Paolo Maccagno and Mark Hope with the specific aim of improving the lives of prisoners and marginalized communities in the North East through running and the Feldenkrais Method® – the awareness through movement.
Participants in activities, including running and Feldenkrais classes, experienced improvements in their physical and mental health, as well as an improvement in their overall well-being.
The club runs two sessions each week and has recently secured funding from the Allen Lane Foundation, Athletics Trust Scotland and To Absent Friends, in addition to private donations which have supported it since the beginning.
Paolo Maccagno, who has already enjoyed success with a similar project in a prison in his native Italy as well as at HMP & YOI Grampian in 2016, said: “I am fascinated by walls. When I first entered a prison in Milan, it was because I was going there to attend the theatrical performance Maratona di New York by Edoardo Erba, which took place in the prison theater itself. The subject of the New York Marathon and the preparation to achieve it was a clear metaphor for a rehabilitation process.
Paolo Maccagno (Image: Robert Gordon University)
“Running a marathon seems to require the ability to let go of finish line thinking, which only produces anxiety, and try to run the race as if you were running forever. As I was leaving the prison, I excitedly asked myself, “What if I ran the wall marathon inside the walls of a prison?”
“The running club welcomes runners from inside and outside the prison, thus avoiding the risk of stigmatization. Running helps form a community of support among runners and allows them to bond with their families. This helps to break down the barriers and walls that separate them.
A current Runforever participant said: “When I run it hurts, it’s a constant struggle, but when my mind is on the run, I’m no longer in prison. I am a free man while I run.”
Another said that “the running club is freedom and running with staff makes me feel like a normal human being.”
Stephanie Morrison, formerly a member of the Public Health and Community Engagement team at Robert Gordon University (RGU), played a leading role in the implementation and development of Runforever in collaboration with the Strategy Group Recovery and Wellbeing Center at HMP Grampian.
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Now an honorary member of the club, she was and still is instrumental in ensuring that participants ultimately embark on a journey of rehabilitation and positive contribution to society after their release. Part of his involvement was introducing cameras during racing sessions and increasing the feeling of freedom while promoting creativity and expression.
Runforever is one of several community engagement initiatives in and around Aberdeen that the University is involved in, as it continues to promote social wellbeing and the value of partnerships.
Laura Chalmers, head of employability and community engagement at RGU, said: “Runforever has a real impact on those who lace up their trainers and log the miles.
“There is great power in community, sport and routine and Runforever reflects that. This is a fantastic community program which continues to have a real impact on the health and wellbeing of prisoners at HMP Grampian.
Brian McKirdy, Governor of HMP & YOI Grampian, said: “The health and wellbeing of those in our care is a key priority and activities like this support that. Runforever has been a welcome initiative and we are happy to work with our partners at Robert Gordon University to provide such an opportunity to people here.
Paolo Maccagno is currently in talks with the director of the Critics Choice nominated “26.2 to Life,” a feature film about the inside story of the San Quentin Prison Marathon at California’s famed San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
It follows the journey of prisoners of different ages and backgrounds becoming marathon runners and the benefits that brings. One inmate in particular reached such a level that he qualified for the famous Boston Marathon while still in custody.
Paolo added: “We deeply agree with the director of the film “26.2” that “people are not crimes” and that we need to change the conversation about incarceration and rehabilitation.
“In this endeavor, our next steps will be a screening of the film and The Silent Run in November, a memorial run paving the way for grief inside the prison and showing that end-of-life care must be considered as part of health care.”
Runforever took part in August’s Healing Arts Scotland event, an initiative by Scottish Ballet and Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization which aims to socialize arts and health research and to stimulate public engagement in the vital role of the arts in health.
