50 Miles for 50 Women
Helping women escape domestic violence
My name is Marta Golden. On August 29th, I will run 50 miles as a participant of RCTC's Baker Trail UltraChallenge. My 50-mile race is a means to raise money for women who are trying to escape domestic violence. Working with the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, my goal is to raise $10,000 by race day. $200 provides one "safety plan." And one safety plan is what it takes to help one woman escape domestic violence, with a systematic list of steps and resources to make that escape a successful one. With your donation, 50 miles buys 50 plans, which saves 50 women.
Globally, nearly one in three (about 840 million) women aged 15 and older experience physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. (Source: World Health Organization) Last year alone, the Women's Center & Shelter served over 7,500 survivors in our region.
Donations can be made at my "50 miles for 50 women" GoFundMe Page. To help one woman, considering sponsoring one mile at the $200 level.
If you'd like to learn more about other ways to help, please visit the Women's Center & Shelter of Pittsburgh.
My passion for this cause is personal: I am a survivor of domestic abuse. I know firsthand that what it takes to escape an abusive relationship. It's not just courage. It's also a plan. A few years ago I left a violent marriage and rebuilt my life from nothing. The night you finally go is not the brave part — it's the logistics. Where to go. What to take. How to leave with your child and stay alive doing it. It sounds dramatic, because it is. Leaving is the most dangerous moment in an abusive relationship. Roughly 44% of women murdered by an intimate partner had already left him. The first three months after separation are the most lethal, and when the abuser is a controlling one, separation raises the risk of being killed roughly fivefold.
My passion for this cause is personal: I am a survivor of domestic abuse. I know firsthand that what it takes to escape an abusive relationship. It's not just courage. It's also a plan. A few years ago I left a violent marriage and rebuilt my life from nothing. The night you finally go is not the brave part — it's the logistics. Where to go. What to take. How to leave with your child and stay alive doing it. It sounds dramatic, because it is. Leaving is the most dangerous moment in an abusive relationship. Roughly 44% of women murdered by an intimate partner had already left him. The first three months after separation are the most lethal, and when the abuser is a controlling one, separation raises the risk of being killed roughly fivefold.
I had someone help me build my plan. Most women don't, and that is exactly what $200 pays for: a real plan, made with a trained advocate, for the most dangerous moment of a woman's life.
As of July 27, 22 miles of this campaign are funded. 28 still need a name on them. Target date for full funding: August 29, 20206, the day of the Baker Trail UltraChallenge 50-mile race.
Take a mile → 50 Miles for 50 Women.
Can't give right now? Share this with one person who would. That counts too.
As of July 27, 22 miles of this campaign are funded. 28 still need a name on them. Target date for full funding: August 29, 20206, the day of the Baker Trail UltraChallenge 50-mile race.
Take a mile → 50 Miles for 50 Women.
Can't give right now? Share this with one person who would. That counts too.