“We cherish the running community that has welcomed us with open arms,” Amy said. “We look forward to running for amazing causes, meeting new people, fundraising, raising awareness, and encouraging others to get out of their comfort zones and make an impact on their own physical and mental health while contributing to our amazing community.”

Celebrating the Race

Amy Kriser and her 9-year-old daughter, Ava, lost Ava’s father two years ago when he died unexpectedly. For Ava, her father’s death meant no more weekends with her dad. And though he and Amy were divorced at the time he passed away; Amy was still left to deal with her own grief.

The mother and daughter coped with their loss by literally running headlong into the grieving process.

Amy and Ava became weekend runners, signing up for charity races and marathons whenever Amy’s busy schedule as an executive nurse at the Arizona State Hospital allowed. Though Amy had played soccer when she was younger, neither of them had participated in sports before.

Still, the races were a fun way to fill the weekend void left by Ava’s dad’s death. A bright, outgoing girl, Ava was mostly fine during the week when she had friends and supportive teachers around.

“But the weekends were hard,” Amy said.

No longer spending them with her dad, Ava struggled a bit. The runs weren’t Ava’s idea, but they helped ease her grief all the same.

“The weekends weren’t hard anymore, they weren’t slow, there was something to look forward to,” Amy said.

The marathons were good for Amy, too. She was a nurse during COVID and worked during the same period Ava’s dad died. Weekend races became a positive way for Amy to process the mental and physical exhaustion of the past four years.

“Being a nurse during COVID and having both professional and personal losses left us both searching for an outlet and running became our ‘family,’” Amy said.

So, Amy signed up for local races through StartLine and the rest is history.

“Our very first run ever was a color run,” Amy said. “The chalk and the colors and the DJ at the end, it was the sense of community and that healthy outlet to grieving that’s kind of pushed me over the last two years.”

Amy and Ava were immediately hooked. The running community welcomed them with open arms. Amy also appreciated that the events supported causes she cared deeply about, from supporting those with autism to the mental health community.

From there, it was only a matter of time before Amy and Ava found themselves at this year’s Run, Walk & Roll. They arrived at the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona event dressed as superheroes and were chosen by the Alliance to start the race out with wings made from balloons along with the event chair, former NFL player and Bachelor star, Clayton Echard. It worked out perfectly, as Amy and Ava were able to join another team of superheroes at the start line.

It’s this kind of camaraderie, support, and fun that make the BIAAZ fundraiser a particularly special event within the nonprofit and advocacy communities.

“This one is special,” Amy said. “You can tell people there genuinely want to be there, for themselves, and not just to run. There are some really cool people there.”

Run, Walk & Roll is known for the passion, creativity, and team spirit of its participants, something Amy immediately noticed.

“You didn’t have to be part of that team to be invited to either walk with that team, to visit with them,” said Amy. “There were high fives all over and it was a very positive environment.”

Both Amy and Ava keep their running casual overall, making events as they are able. They’ve made friends with other casual racers, though there’s no official group.

“There’s probably about 10 of us that just sign up for random races in the Valley,” Amy said. “We may hit or miss some of them, we may all be at the same race one weekend, or we may not see them for three or four weeks.”

Although informal, the racers’ friendship and support are constant. Ava has assigned each of the group members an alter-ego name based on Marvel characters. Another woman in the group, a retiree, recently took Amy under her wing. She gave Amy a fitness timer and taught her about interval training.

Sometimes, Amy said it can be a bit challenging to get Ava out of bed for the early starts the races demand, but inevitably, Ava throws herself wholeheartedly into the events.

“And then we go there, and we see these people, and she makes friends with everyone,” Amy said. “And she is just on that high.”

Ever the social butterfly, Ava gains much of her energy and the inspiration to keep going, even if she’s getting a bit tired, from the other racers.

“She runs to the next person to go say hi,” Amy said. When Ava recognizes someone from the starting line, she’s likely to run up alongside them and say, “Oh hi, I’m Ava, remember me?’”

Ava meets all her friends – both old and new – at the finish line. She and Amy often spend time socializing with everyone, replenishing on plenty of granola bars.

Though casual, Amy and Ava do have some race goals and notice the inevitable progress they are making. They are gearing up for their first quarter marathon this summer. In each race, both of them get a bit faster. Recently, they finished a 5K in 40 minutes.

Though Amy admits that time won’t break any records, it was still a personal milestone and she’s proud of it. Besides, ultimately the time doesn’t detract from the fun of participating or the fact they are supporting the group or organization holding the event.

“Every time we just get a little bit faster, we make new friends; it’s been great,” Amy said. “We don’t care if we take the whole hour to walk the 5K. We got the same medal, the same high fives. You did it, good job.”

Though initially Amy was running for Ava, now she runs just as much for herself.

“I started out saying that I run for her,” Amy said. “And I don’t know when it necessarily changed to running for myself. The weekends we didn’t have a race, and it felt like something was missing.”

That certainly isn’t the case anymore, and it’s not likely to change any time soon.

“We cherish the running community that has welcomed us with open arms,” Amy said. “We look forward to running for amazing causes, meeting new people, fundraising, raising awareness, and encouraging others to get out of their comfort zones and make an impact on their own physical and mental health while contributing to our amazing community.”

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.

The Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona:

• Works with Congressional Brain Injury Task Force
• Houses Arizona Brain Health Resource Center
• Hosts virtual and in-person support groups for survivors and families
• Has Statewide Opioid Use Disorder & Cognitive Impairment Response team with peer support, training, and family wraparound services
• Facilitates Brain Health Advisory Council
• Manages statewide Help Line: 888-500-9165