Jenelle Reid, left, and Jessy Lee, right, are both running coaches for the Sole Sisters running and walking group. (Krista Kroiss/Wilsonville Spokesman)

Rain or shine, every Saturday morning since March a group of women have gathered at Boeckman Creek Primary to run.

A mix of volunteer coaches, seasoned athletes and new runners, the women make up one of 15 Sole Sisters running and walking groups, which are primarily spread through western Oregon but also reach as far as Mexico. Participants have access to free training schedules that can be done individually, but the weekly runs bring women together to bond and prepare for the annual Sole Sisters Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K in Wilsonville.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 31 and, pending city approval, the routes will go through Wilsonville neighborhoods and parks like Graham Oaks Nature Park and Arrowhead Creek Park. Formerly called Queen of the High Road, the half-marathon drew 500 women to town last year according to Sole Sisters coach Jessy Lee, and so far 400 people have signed up this year. While the number of participants was capped last year due to safety concerns, with support from a $4,250 Wilsonville Community Opportunity Grant this year Lee hopes no one is turned away.

‘It’s really just about supporting each other’

The event is meant to feel like a celebration, complete with food trucks and live music. Unlike typical races, being timed is optional in the Sole Sisters run, and participants and organizers will wait until the final person has crossed the finish line to celebrate. Those who want to be competitive have the opportunity to, and can win a medal if they are first in their age category, but the goal of the run is to foster supportive relationships between women.

“It really is about showing up and supporting each other, creating that community,” said Janelle Reid, a volunteer coach with Sole Sisters. “We don’t want women to feel like it’s about competition … we don’t want them to try and one up each other. It’s really just about supporting each other.”

Sole Sisters is the name of the running and walking group, and the race event was renamed to match in 2020. The group began in 2008 when a trio of women decided to train for a half-marathon. The three — Jules Moody, Lisa Sequeira and Ann Christler — created their own training program and were joined by friends and others over time. The training group became an annual occurrence and grew organically, Lee said.

Lee and Reid said the group has allowed them to befriend other women and build community.

“You don’t think about runners as talking because you’re out of breath, but we have some of the most deep, meaningful conversations on those 9-, 10-mile training runs,” Lee said. “Because that’s how we keep our minds occupied.”

Reid, who joined the group in 2017, said she feels that post-COVID many are looking for community and connection, and the running group offers a welcoming environment towards that end. People can show up to Saturday runs not knowing anyone and wanting to meet others, or just come to do the route.

“There’s all different reasons why people show up, but I definitely feel like people I’ve met here are women I otherwise probably wouldn’t have connected with, because we don’t have kids that are the same age or that go to the same schools, or we are in totally different stages of life,” Reid said. “And it’s been fun to have that.”

Lee said the Queen of the High Road race was renamed Sole Sisters in 2020, the same year she joined the Sole Sisters group as a running coach. The original trio of women, who Lee said organized the race under the previous name for about 10 years, decided that year that they didn’t want to organize their own race anymore.

All levels of fitness welcome

Participation in a Sole Sisters training group is not required to sign up for the race, which draws women from as close as Wilsonville and as far as Connecticut. The event welcomes veteran runners along with those who would prefer to walk, and each participant receives a medal shaped like half a heart that can be matched with any other participant’s half, like a friendship bracelet.

“We have people who walk the half-marathon, and that’s totally fine,” Reid said, adding that she believes participants in other runs don’t feel comfortable moving slowly due to expectations and cutoff times. “We have a little bit more freedom in ours, so I think that kind of naturally helps them feel like it’s a safe place to show up and be, and to really just enjoy it.”

The Sole Sisters running and walking group is free to join (although participation in the race event requires payment) and it is open to beginners and athletes alike.

“If you’re curious or wondering, or not sure, just show up,” Reid said. “For so many of us, I think we’ve been pleasantly surprised at what it’s done for us.”

More information on the Sole Sisters running group and event can be found on the website.