Myra Sack, an athlete from the Philadelphia area, experienced profound personal loss when her daughter Havi was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and fatal genetic disorder. Despite prenatal screening that indicated no risk, Havi’s condition was confirmed at 15 months, and she passed away at the age of two years and four months in 2021. In coping with her grief, Sack sought ways to engage both emotionally and physically, leading her to connect with others who had faced similar losses.
Approximately a year after Havi’s passing, Sack organized a group of 18 individuals who had each experienced devastating loss. They met near the 21-mile mark of the Boston Marathon route, agreeing to gather weekly to share stories and train for a half-marathon together. Among the participants was Maria Rodrigues, whose son Jairam died in a rock climbing accident in Brazil. Rodrigues, who had not run in years, committed to the training, eventually completing the half-marathon in Newport, Rhode Island. She reflected on the parallels between enduring grief and completing a long-distance race, noting that both required strength and perseverance.
Sack’s approach to this grief-focused running group was informed by her research and consultations with experts in grief and trauma, including Joanne Cacciatore and Bruce Perry. This framework evolved into her nonprofit organization, E-Motion, which now trains facilitators to lead similar groups domestically and internationally.
Experts highlight that grief manifests not only emotionally but also physically. Symptoms such as elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, heightened cortisol levels, inflammation, suppressed immune function, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties are common among those grieving. Sarah McCarthy, a psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital who works with bereaved families, has observed these physiological effects firsthand. After her own daughter’s death from leukemia, McCarthy experienced intense physical exhaustion and initially struggled to recognize these symptoms as part of the grieving process.
Encouraged by Sack, McCarthy joined an E-Motion running group despite disliking running. She trained for and completed a 10-kilometer race, an experience she described as transformative and worthy of further study. While research on structured grief-focused exercise programs remains in early stages, existing studies indicate that physical activity can improve mental health outcomes, including for those dealing with grief.
A 2021 study in the United Kingdom reported that exercise provided participants with a sense of freedom and opportunities for emotional expression and social support. Subsequent longitudinal research in 2023 showed that bereaved individuals who were more physically active were less likely to develop chronic depression compared to their less active peers.
Mary-Frances O’Connor, a grief researcher and author of “The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing,” emphasized that grieving often involves more than verbal processing. Her work suggests that activities such as muscle relaxation and physical exercise offer significant benefits by addressing both mental and physical aspects of grief. Furthermore, participating in group activities fosters social connection and accountability, helping individuals reintegrate into community life—an important but often overlooked element of the grieving process.