A Time of Transition

Hi all! I’m Julia Potter, and I’m excited to be running for Strong Girls United in the NYRR United NYC Half. A little bit about me…I returned home to Massachusetts right before the holidays after finishing my 4 years of active duty Army service. I spent my first two years in South Korea and my last two years in North Carolina. I believe the positive impact that sports had on me as a teenager (especially cross country and indoor track) was the foundation for my confidence, resilience, and ability to be a good teammate and leader while in the Army. 

When I got home, I knew I wanted to continue serving my community while figuring out my next steps towards a new career in the library field. I discovered Strong Girls United while searching for a way to give back that combined my love for running and my passion for empowering girls to be confident in themselves now and in the future as leaders in their lives, communities, and careers.

From the last few months of 2025 and beginning of 2026, my life has already been chock full of changes. Life felt pretty chaotic between moving from North Carolina to Massachusetts the week of Thanksgiving, finishing my time in the Army, preparing to apply for jobs in a new field, training for a December half-marathon, and finally making time to reconnect with family and friends I hadn’t seen in months or even years.

Through all those transitions, the one thing that stayed constant was running. This sport has become something I do to stay physically healthy, relieve stress, and celebrate my wins. After 15 years of running, it is something that has made me who I am today. I encourage everyone to add movement into their life however they are able, and if that was part of your New Year’s resolution, let this be your sign to stick with it!

Thanks for reading,

Julia

#RUNFORHER NYC United Half 2026 team