In a world the place each new endurance problem appears to be designed to push the bodily limits of athletes like by no means earlier than, Austin, Texas’s Summer season Willis, a survivor of sexual assault, took on an unprecedented feat throughout the Austin Marathon in February. Her objective was clear: to crawl 26.2 miles as a robust image of the energy it takes to recuperate from trauma. Whereas her plan didn’t precisely play out by the guide, her journey to the end was extra significant than she may have imagined.
The which means behind the crawl
Willis, a mother to 2 boys, revealed creator, and devoted advocate and endurance athlete, had already accomplished a number of outstanding challenges to boost consciousness—together with finishing 29 marathons in a single 12 months, and operating a marathon with a mattress on her again.
Crawling the marathon was about greater than logging miles in bizarre manner—it was about confronting years of silence, ache and stigma. “This crawl is probably the most significant of all my challenges as a result of it’s my first time admitting to myself that it was okay that I wasn’t okay,” she shared with Canadian Operating. Her marathon endeavour, one thing she titled The Final Time We Crawl, was meant to be a uncooked and bodily illustration of the trauma many survivors face. For her, the method of crawling was symbolic of the lengthy, painful journey to reclaim her life. “I discovered my energy by crawling for years—by ache, by trauma, by silence.”
The marathon additionally had the intention of forcing uncomfortable conversations. “I need folks to ask why—why would somebody do one thing so excessive?” Willis defined. Her objective was easy: to increase consciousness about sexual violence and begin the dialog that so many keep away from. “The extra folks ask, the extra we speak concerning the actuality of sexual violence. I refuse to let this situation stay invisible.”
The tough actuality of coaching
Coaching for this marathon was not like something Willis had carried out earlier than. Crawling for hours on finish required build up not solely her bodily and psychological energy but in addition her tolerance to ache. “It’s brutal on my knees, my fingers, my again,” she stated. Regardless of the agony, Willis pushed by as a result of, as she put it, “survivors don’t get a selection of their ache. They endure it on daily basis.”
Willis crawled for 17 hours, explaining that her bodily ache grew because the miles handed. As she neared the midway mark, the spot the place she had been raped, her physique reached its breaking level. “I felt helpless; I didn’t know methods to take one other step,” she mirrored. Standing on the web site of her assault, she allowed herself to rise, and completed the race on her toes. “I gave myself permission to face tall,” she stated.
Wanting forward: combating for change
Whereas Willis didn’t full the total marathon on her knees, the importance of her journey stays highly effective, and her message of energy and survival is much from over. For the final 0.3 miles, Willis was joined by members of the Texas Home of Representatives, and this spring, Willis will testify earlier than the Texas Home of Representatives and Senate, advocating for legal guidelines to guard survivors.”I’ll stand tall and combat for what survivors deserve,” she says.
Willis’s work continues past simply her personal therapeutic. She is engaged on a Denim Day 5K collection to boost funds for survivors, in addition to an animated movie aimed toward serving to others deal with trauma; she says her combat for change is simply starting.
To study extra about Summer season Willis and her work, head right here.
If you happen to or somebody wants fast help, name or textual content 1-866-403-8000 to achieve the confidential Alberta’s One-Line for Sexual Violence; for elsewhere in Canada, discover a listing of assets right here. Within the U.S., you may name the RAINN Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).