The day after the 2024 election, Alex Maples, a high school teacher, mother, JRS/USA community member, and long-distance runner, signed up for a 200-mile race across Florida.

“I knew I would need something to work towards and keep me motivated,” Alex shared in a recent conversation. Running, for her, cannot be separated from her Catholic faith or her commitment to serving others. It is something she has returned to time and again when in need of mental, physical, and spiritual nourishment.

Alex did not grow up Catholic or even Christian. Raised Jewish, she describes herself as spiritually curious from a young age. She also did not grow up athletic. Her mother prioritized the arts for Alex and her sister, which she loved, but sports were never part of her childhood. In college, her roommate would joke about the clothes she wore to the gym. Still, Alex always loved being outdoors, even before she would ever call herself a runner.

Her path to Boston College (BC) was guided by instinct. A guidance counselor once told her she would never get in, that no one from her school ever had. It only made her want it more. When she visited campus with her mother, she felt a deep gut certainty. “No other singular decision has been so life defining,” Alex said. “It’s why I’m Catholic. It’s how I met my husband.”

During her freshman year at BC, Alex signed up spontaneously for an Ignatian silent retreat. On that retreat, she learned about St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises, and something clicked. She became involved with campus ministry and learned more about Catholicism. Time and again, Alex would say yes first and discover the meaning later.

Her sophomore year, Alex traveled to the southern border through an immersion program in Nogales – a city divided by the U.S.-Mexico border that goes by the same name on both sides. She stayed with a host family on the Mexican side, humbled by their warmth and generosity. The following day, she visited a detention center on the Arizona side. She remembers seeing people in what looked like cages, people who reminded her of the family who had just welcomed her into their home. The juxtaposition stayed with her. The generosity of people who had so little stood in sharp contrast to the conditions imposed on those who might be their relatives and neighbors.

While studying at the University of Central America in El Salvador, Alex continued to discern her faith. During a silent retreat, a priest led her group through a meditative reflection on the Annunciation, Mary’s call to say yes. The quiet but persistent voice inviting Alex to become Catholic was suddenly loud and clear. She officially entered the Church at the Easter Vigil during her senior year at Boston College, where she was baptized, received the Eucharist, and was confirmed.

After graduating, Alex joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Phoenix, Arizona. There, running entered her life almost accidentally. One of her roommates was training for a half marathon and asked Alex the morning of the race if she wanted to join. Alex had just been running a mile loop around their JVC house. But Alex said yes without overthinking it.

That same afternoon, she signed up for a full marathon. While training, she relied on the generosity of others who donated running shoes and clothes so she could participate. Her first marathon raised money for leukemia research, and she began to see running as a way to tell stories and invite others into a shared cause.

She missed qualifying for the Boston Marathon by just two minutes, signed up for another race, qualified, and returned to Massachusetts to pursue her master’s degree at BC. A year later, she ran the Boston Marathon.

Community and fundraising have remained central to Alex’s running ever since. “Because several of the races I’ve done have been fundraisers, they’ve been avenues to tell stories, build community, and bring people in,” Alex explained. Donating, whether money or encouragement, became a way for others to participate, transforming what can be an isolating sport into something communal.

Fourteen years ago, Alex moved to Florida, where she spent a decade teaching at a Catholic school.   Connecting with JRS reconnected her with the Jesuits. As Alex began training for the 200-mile race, she found herself looking for an organization to partner with. Around Christmas of 2024, she was listening to The Bulwark Podcast when host Tim Miller spoke about the importance of JRS’s work. That was the moment of clarity she had been waiting for.

From there, Alex got more involved with JRS, participating with her students in our annual Advocacy Day where hundreds gather across the country to talk with their representatives about policies pertinent to migrants and refugees.

She began posting her training online, despite having been off social media for years, and slowly, a community formed around her. Runners, Catholics, Jesuit-educated friends, students, and people who care deeply about a humane immigration system began to follow along.

When the race finally arrived this past fall, Alex once again relied on the generosity of others. The 200-mile route proved more challenging than expected, and she banded together with a group of women for much of the race. She slept in the back of a freezing pickup truck, took a three-minute nap outside a store at 3 am in Palatka, borrowed running clothes when her bag did not make it to the next rest station, and accepted an hour of rest in a fellow runner’s RV. She kept her rosary with her throughout the race and found herself in meaningful conversations about faith with those who ran beside her.

When it was all said and done, Alex and her community raised over $10,000 to support JRS/USA — an incredible example of grassroots activism and fundraising.

Alex is already looking at more long-distance runs including 100- and 200-mile races and she is committed to continuing to use her running as a platform to advocate for migrants and raise awareness about how others can get involved.

If you want to follow in Alex’s footsteps, learn more about JRS/USA’s peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities here.