ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Makenzie Rink will tell you she almost accidentally started an Asheville running group because she wanted to find someone who ran as slow as she did. She jokes that becoming the leader of a growing running club was not on her life’s Bingo card.
Almost a year later the group has grown to more than 750 followers/runners and Rink has established a nice social media following of nearly 40,000 people on TikTok and Instagram.
Her typical posts are uplifting and are focused on an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes to get out and enjoy running and the outdoors.
On September 30th her post was about something else. Rink provided an update on relief in Asheville and surrounding communities and asked anyone who could donate money or much-needed supplies.
“This is my home, this is a lot of people’s homes, and we need help bad,” Rink said.
The post reached thousands and thousands of people with many reaching out to Rink.
In the week following the storm, Rink started collecting donations and buying and delivering supplies to people displaced or impacted by the storm and flood.
“To see all these places that I’ve made so many memories, some of these buildings are completely gone, it’s disbelief, it’s shock,” Rink said.
She has provided updates along the way on TikTok and Instagram, often showing what she’s been doing, the supplies people have donated, and the damage around her community.
“You are literally going one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time,” Rink said.
Rink will be out of town that week as she has a race scheduled in Chicago. Rink said she has dedicated the race to those impacted and hopes to raise more funds to help those in need.
Much like her race the road to recovery is not a sprint but a marathon. Relief efforts and support will take months and most likely years. Rink is determined to do what she can to assist people impacted.
“We need to help in whatever way,” Rink said.