GREENFIELD — One year ago, as runners lined up at the 2016 Boston Marathon starting line, Keith Giroux prepared to run his version inside the Franklin County Jail.
That day, he pulled on a gray prison sweatshirt and matching pants, strapped on standard issue New Balance velcro medical shoes, and logged 26.2 miles on a small treadmill next to the showers.
Now out of prison, he’s preparing to run the real deal — in Boston’s 2017 race.
Come April 17, Giroux, 30, will join more than 30,000 other runners in Hopkinton to compete in the world’s oldest marathon, wearing No. 7467. Giroux is raising money for a charity, The Hopkinton Center For The Arts. So far, he’s raised about $3,500 of a $5,000 goal. His fundraising deadline is April 10.
“This was my last run,” Giroux said Wednesday, while training at Green River Swimming and Recreation Area, looking at an app on his cell phone. “I ran from Deerfield Street to the top of Brush Mountain in Northfield. It’s 1,050 feet high. Such a difficult hill to climb at the end of a 20-mile run.”
For Giroux, running is a positive outlet. He was introduced to drugs at age 11 or so, became a father at 17, and was incarcerated for the first time by 18. Since then, he’s spent the majority of his adult life incarcerated. The upcoming race is affirmation that he’s turned to a new chapter in life.
“I’m anxious, a bit nervous that I won’t hit my mark,” Giroux said. He paused, then added, “though, I think that’s common. You never feel ready.”
This will be the third marathon Giroux has run. A few months after being released from the Franklin County House of Correction, he completed Plymouth’s Myles Standish Marathon, last November, in three hours, 24 minutes — shaving 50 minutes off his jail house time of four hours, 14 minutes.
Looking to Boston’s race, Giroux is hoping to finish in under three hours, which is about a 6:45 mile pace. If he can do that, he’ll automatically qualify to compete in next year’s marathon without needing to represent an charity.
He was released from jail Oct. 24, 2016, having served five years for removing a court-ordered bracelet, and violating probation for breaking and entering, assault and battery, and vandalism.
“I used to be directionless, in and out of jail with addiction issues. Now, everything I do feels like there’s some purpose. Everybody needs some sort of escape from monotony. Running fills that for me,” Giroux said.
While incarcerated, he began running as a positive outlet and a means of staying physically active. At first, he’d run a mile or so. Gradually, though, his runs became longer. Soon, he was running for more than just physical health.
“Only a year ago I was sitting in jail. Right now, I’m working toward everything I dreamed about 12 years ago. Living this clean, sober, crimeless lifestyle. It took 12 years to build this mind-set. Some of us needed to lose to develop,” Giroux said.
These days, Giroux works a steady job at a factory in Turners Falls and lives on Deerfield Street. He works during the day, 12-hour shifts, and returns home at night.
His routine runs can be anywhere from three miles to 20.
“By the time I get ready, it’s 8:30 at least. When I come out of my house, I either go right, or left. Wherever I end up, eventually, I loop back to the house,” Giroux said. One direction brings him through Old Deerfield (his favorite running route), the other, through Turners Falls.
Compared to running on a treadmill in jail, Giroux said he appreciates the freedom of running outdoors. He can go anywhere.
“I don’t listen to anything. I run by myself, always alone. At least half of my runs are at night in the cold. Having that time to be stuck with myself is good. It’s a great time to think about ideas or problems; a perfect time to sort through thoughts; it’s the best time to slow down, take a step back, and figure out where I want to go,” Giroux said.
To contribute to Giroux’s fundraising efforts, visit www.gofundme.com/a-run-for-meaning
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263