Meet Darian, Team Roseville Alumni Member
When we asked Team Roseville Alumni Member Darian if he’d be open to sharing his story with Mile in My Shoes supporters, he was a little surprised about why. To our staff it was a no-brainer to spotlight Darian. Since joining Team Roseville in April, Darian has missed only a couple of runs. He’s embodied our values of showing up and having an open-mind, approaching every opportunity with the team with enthusiasm and an eagerness to grow.
Darian’s response? “Well okay, I’ll do it. But, I’d really like to share my story in my own words.” So here is Darian’s letter about his experience running with Mile in My Shoes.
Hello MiMS Family,
My name is Darian. I’ve been participating in a long season of running — then walking — then running again with my mentors at the Roseville VOA.
I just got out of prison this year. After years of incarceration and reflection, while not all of my reflection was positive. Getting out feels like a second chance at life. Joining MiMS turned that chance into something real. After eight months running you, I stand here a different man.
My parents are gone. Both of them. Yet, their presence never left. Losing them hardened me. It taught me early that life does not wait for permission. When the people who raised you are suddenly gone, change stops being optional. It becomes survival.
That same hardness later saved me.
I used to build guns and sell guns for over forty years. I was 12 years old when I built my first gun. I told myself it was just a passion. Yet, the higher I climbed, the dirtier the deals became. I had been shot at multiple times. I can’t remember how many times people have pointed guns at me. I had so many near death experiences, I lost count. I knew one day, one bad transaction would eventually kill me.
Prison forced the truth my parents had already prepared me to face: if I stayed on that path, I would be dead. Change was no longer a choice. It was the only way forward.
The first time I ran with you, I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack. My chest burned. My legs shook. I was certain that day would finish me. It became a running joke among us, but I kept coming back.
That moment is the perfect parallel for the larger change in my life.
The old version me almost died the day I was arrested. The new version of me almost died on that first run. Both times, I chose to keep going. Both times, the pain became the doorway instead of the wall.
MiMS has been the support network I never expected to find. It showed up in the least likely place — on the road, in the rain, in early morning miles when most of the world was still asleep.
You did not lecture me. You simply showed up. When I wanted to quit, you were already there.
That quiet consistency rewired something in me. A boy breaks promises and makes excuses. A man keeps his word and makes the change. You taught me that simply by being present. Because of you, I am rewriting who I am.
Going forward, I will keep showing up — even when it rains, even when my body complains, even when the old voice tries to pull me back. I will keep my word. I will trade the old habit of taking for the new discipline of giving. I will run with you, support the people around me, and protect this second chance with the same intensity I once used to survive the old life.
I thank God for every closed door, and every unexpected open one. His guidance carried me through the transition from the man I was to the man I am still becoming. And, I thank each of you. You gave me more than I deserved. I will spend the rest of my time proving I can give something back.
