Zac Clark on Sobriety, Resilience, and Running
The Bachelorette star is running the TCS New York City Marathon to support underprivileged individuals on the path toward recovery
Zac Clark, a former contestant on The Bachelorette, founded the Release Foundation to eliminate financial barriers for those who cannot afford treatment for addiction. This year, he is running his 10th NYC marathon with Reebok to raise $1,000,000 to support individuals on the path to recovery. As Clark approaches 13 years of sobriety, he is inspired to give back to others through running.
Clark’s journey began in Haddonfield, New Jersey, where he played baseball and developed a love for Philadelphia sports. However, his life took a challenging turn at 24 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, marking the start of a difficult relationship with opiates that spiraled into years of addiction.
“Through surgery, I was introduced to opiates, which quickly turned into several years of active addiction. This ended with me living on the streets of Camden, NJ, shooting heroin and doing crack cocaine. This was ultimately the biggest blessing in my life because it led me to where I am today. I got sober with the help of family, treatment, and community,” Clark told Athletech News.
He built Release Recovery in 2017 to help others find the gift of recovery. In 2019, Clark founded the Release Foundation, a 501c3 with the mission of giving that gift to people who cannot afford it on their own.
Clark was inspired to found the organization after the kindness of a stranger.
“At my lowest point, after attempting to cash one of my father’s checks, a bank teller changed the course of my life,” He said. “Instead of calling the police, or letting me go through with the transaction, she chose to call my dad. She saved my life that day by choosing to be compassionate. That was the last day I used any mind-altering substance. I then went on to spend 4.5 months at an inpatient rehabilitation program, where I now serve as a board member 13 years later.”
Since then, the Release Foundation has raised over 3 million dollars and has helped over 200 people get life-saving access to care. After becoming sober, Clark watched the TCS New York City Marathon and felt inspired.
“I cried!” Clark said. “That day, I vowed to run that race the next year and every year I could for the rest of my life. This will be my 10th TCS New York City Marathon, and I look forward to many more to come. At Release, the TCS New York City Marathon is our hometown race. It is also the epitome of what Release is: a community moving together to support a common mission.”
On marathon day, the entire Release Foundation team of runners will be wearing Reebok. Clark will be sporting the Reebok Running Singlet, the Speed Shorts, and their new race day shoe, the FloatZig X1.
“We believe in the power of movement – it’s healing – and offers a powerful connection between mind and body,” Clark concluded. “We also think moving together with a community offers connection in the loneliness epidemic we are seeing right now. Since 2021, Release Foundation has had over 300 individuals run the race and has raised over $1,750,000 from the NYC Marathon alone. We are aiming to set a new fundraising benchmark in 2024 of 1 million dollars.”