The Way Out Recovery SCV recently hosted representatives from Students Off And Running (SOAR) on KHTS AM-1220’s “The Way Out Recovery Hour” to talk about how it aims to build healthy relationships among students by training for and completing a marathon.

Run by Santa Clarita Track Club, SOAR is an-after school program available to high school students enrolled in the Santa Clarita Valley, according to the SOAR website.

SOAR uses the vehicle of marathon training to empower students and provide them with tools for a healthy and constructive future.

Related: The Way Out Recovery SCV Invites Community To Grand Opening This Week

The Way Out Recovery SCV Program Director Bob Sharits welcomed Kevin Sarkissian, head coach and program director of SOAR, and Samantha, former SOAR runner, to the show to discuss the program and its benefits.

Sarkissian, a former leader of Students Run LA, created SOAR with the Santa Clarita Track Club and had four students from Golden Valley High School to begin with.

Sarkissian told listeners that the program has been in place for 11 years now, with a total of 200 students in the program completing the LA Marathon. Every student who ran the marathon has completed it.

The program is 24 weeks long and students train three times a week, reaching 400 miles in training. Most students have little to no running experience at all.

“Students come in with social, emotional, or body image issues that want to lose weight,” said Sarkissian. “I’ve had students lose 50 pounds in a season.”

Samantha told listeners that she completed her first marathon with SOAR in 2013. Her finishing time was five hours and six minutes.

She decided to enroll in the program after her brother finished a marathon in the program the year before.

“With this program, … I gained weight and muscle, I had my grades up, and I took extra classes with Coach,” said Samantha. “It’s just something that brought me confidence in school and in life.”

Sarkissian told listeners that they do not solicit any registration fees. The program pays for the entire experience, and runs cost about $1,000 dollars per student. The program is able to do this thanks to donations from the public.

If you would like to learn more about SOAR or donate, click here.

In Santa Clarita, drug issues are a major concern for many. The mission of the Santa Clarita rehab The Way Out Recovery SCV Drug and Alcohol Outpatient Treatment is to provide high quality, effective alcohol and drug outpatient treatment. The drug rehab’s goal is to assist adolescents, adults and their loved ones in becoming happily and usefully whole, free from drug addiction. Those seeking Santa Clarita drug treatment or a teen drug rehab can rest assured that The Way Out Recovery’s philosophy is to teach life-long coping skills and strategies to assist in improving quality of life and living happily and meaningfully without the need of destructive behaviors.

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