By Alison Simpson

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What started out as a conversation at the 2025 YCP Conference lunch in April, turned into new friendships formed over a shared love for running. Natasha Hagen recently started running and quickly discovered a passion for it. For Natasha, running became more than just a hobby. It was a catalyst for community and an opportunity to grow in her faith. 

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When she sat down for lunch with Glenn, the Vice President of YCP Central Connecticut, and Sandra from YCP’s Silicon Valley Chapter, she did not expect to talk about this new-found passion. “It’s funny. Once we started talking about running, it just clicked. There’s this shared understanding between people who run. You kind of know what the other person goes through. The struggles, the excitement, and the peace it brings,” Natasha shared. 

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During this same lunch, Sandra had shared that she had been running for a long time and had recently signed up for a 10K in Rhode Island. She extended an invitation to Natasha and Glenn to join her. “I had just started running, but I told her I would pray about it. Glenn said that he would pray about it too. I went home from the conference and I prayed about it. I thought to myself that I think I'll do it,” Natasha said.

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The three friends would spend the next few months apart as they waited and trained for the 10K in October. Despite the distance, they stayed in touch and encouraged one another throughout the whole process. “I truly wanted to stay connected with Natasha and Glenn. Making new friends as adults, especially those who share faith, is challenging. Social media helped us stay close despite being over 2,000 miles apart,” Sandra said. “Cheering them on and seeing how YCP transformed their lives and chapters gave me a meaningful way to stay spiritually connected despite the distance.” 

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October finally rolled around and YCP’s Central Connecticut chapter was hosting its St. Joseph Saturday retreat the same weekend as the 10K. Natasha and Glenn invited Sandra to join them at the retreat. “We had the retreat in the morning, then later that day a few of us, Glenn, myself, Joe Luchene (our co-director of membership), and Sandra all went out to show her around New Haven,” Natasha said. It was the perfect way to connect and prayerfully prepare for the 10K that would take place the next day. 

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It was an early morning for the crew. “The day started very early at around 4 AM for me. I had a two-hour drive to get from Hartford, CT to Narragansett, RI for the run. To my surprise, I was the first one there and got our bibs and shirts ready to go,” Glenn stated. Glenn would later meet up with Natasha and Sandra to pass off the items. 

Despite the lack of sleep, they found themselves ready to go with smiles on their faces. It wasn’t just a shared love for running that brought them even closer that day. It was really their shared faith that connected the three individuals. “There was so much excitement in the air. You could just feel it. I’d never run in a race that big before, so the energy was amazing,” Natasha said. “The course was right along the ocean, and as we stretched and got ready, we just stood there taking in the sunrise and the beauty of it all. Before the race started, we made the Sign of the Cross and prayed, asking the Lord to help us through the run. Some of us even planned to pray the Rosary while running to make it a deeper, more spiritual experience and offer the effort up to God.”

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The three friends started the race together but would eventually part ways. Even though they were not together the whole time, they felt connected. They were all going through the same things. Natasha compared it to the journey towards heaven. “The whole time, I couldn’t help thinking about how much running mirrors the spiritual life. There were over a thousand people running that day, all at different paces and places. It’s just like our own journeys toward heaven. Sometimes we’re ahead, sometimes behind, but we’re all running the same race, encouraging one another along the way.”

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Like the ups and downs we face in our race towards heaven, Sandra went through her own ups and downs through the race. Around the 3 mile mark of the race, Sandra was struggling to catch her breath. She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. “It was Natasha, steady and strong, exactly in line with her training. I felt so proud of her and encouraged her to keep going. Seeing her steady pace reignited my own motivation. It was a reminder that faith and friendship go hand in hand, especially in tough moments,” Sandra said. 

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It was a joyful moment when they all crossed the line. They were able to celebrate together and soak in the beautiful weather. “I was also shocked that by the time we finished the race, the weather was amazing. It was sunny and nearly 80 degrees. For a morning in October, that’s unheard of! Running the 10K that day was easily one of the best days in this calendar year 2025 for me,” Glenn shared. It could not have been a more perfect weekend to run a 10K.

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The three friends are eager to run together again. This is only the beginning. They are excited to not only run together again but also just as excited to go to the 2026 YCP conference. “It’s amazing to think that all of this was sparked by the YCP 2025 Conference. I honestly feel like Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was helping to inspire those connections through his prayers. Praise God for that!” Natasha said. 

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Natasha Hagen’s encounter with Glenn and Sandra serves as a powerful reminder that our journey toward heaven is best run with friends by our side and faith in our hearts. Thanks to a simple conversation at lunch, this trio will continue to encourage one another every step of the way. Whether training for a 10K or running the race of life, Natasha, Glenn, and Sandra are living proof that we are all meant to run this race to heaven together.

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