“New York is by far the best because there is a higher purpose,” Clark explained. “This year, we have around 100 charity runners and we’re raising a bunch of money for folks struggling with substance use disorder and mental health. And partnering with Reebok, working with a brand with purpose, this weekend is going to be special.”

Clark became known in households across the country by appearing on the 16th season of “The Bachelorette” in 2020. However, he discovered his greater purpose three years earlier by founding Release Recovery, a substance abuse and mental health recovery organization. It is primarily focused on removing the financial barriers to treatment for those who can’t afford it, particularly those in underserved communities.

As he helps others, Clark openly shares his own struggles with addiction. He also offers a look into his recovery journey, which is now 13 years strong.

During the preparation for his tenth TCS New York City Marathon, Clark spoke with FN about the goals for this year’s race — to raise $1 million for his organization’s nonprofit arm, Release Foundation — as well as Reebok’s role in his efforts.

Why did you establish Release Recovery?

“The short answer to that question is that I was a heroin addict. I have been given the opportunity to get sober. One of my core tenants in life is to make this available to everyone. At 27, I found myself in a really nice treatment program in Pennsylvania because my parents could afford it. I stayed there for four-and-a-half months. I was struggling. In my twenties, I had a brain tumor and got hooked on pills, and then from there it took off to the street where I was buying heroin and crack cocaine and really found myself in a deep, dark place. I had no idea what the heck I was going to do when I got out of there because I burnt my life down. I was married, that was going to be a divorce. I had to sell the house, the car, give up the dog, all the things that you don’t want to do when you’re trying to put your life back together. I landed in New York City, I’ve been here for the past 13 years. Started working in behavioral health care, in substance abuse treatment for the first five years to help someone else grow their business, and then I went out on my own and started Release Recovery, which is our for profit wing. We have 64 residential beds throughout New York City and Westchester County, 80 employees. A really nice business helping people. But then in late 2019 and early 2020, I was like we need to do more here, we need to make this care accessible to folks that couldn’t afford it, so we started the Release Foundation. We raise money to provide scholarships to people out there that otherwise could not afford to go get help for a substance use disorder or a mental health diagnosis of any kind. We don’t send money to my for profit. We send money to other programs.”

How long have you been sober for?

“I celebrated 13 years in August — Aug. 30, 2011 is my sober date. No drugs, alcohol, nothing.”

That is incredible, congratulations. What has running provided you throughout your recovery journey?

“What has it not provided? Outside treatment, therapy, the meetings I go to, my circle, my support group, the people that love me and know me, it’s right there. When I look at my life, I look at my recovery, I look at my family and then shortly thereafter is running. It’s given me more than I could have ever imagined. Starting treatment, I was  overweight. Physically, I was breaking down. I was around 260 pounds and someone suggested that I go for a walk. That first step led me to this journey here, 13 years later. When I look at running, I think of mental health. The physical, being in shape, the cardio, being able to do hard shit is cool, but for me the biggest takeaway is the mental health. I’m feeling a certain kind of way or life is lifeing, I know what to do. I throw on the shoes and I get outside and I go for a run. For all the people out there that say, ‘I hate running,’ I challenge them to get through that first mile, that first five minutes, because it becomes very meditative, it becomes very therapeutic.”

The roughly 100 runners on the Release Foundation team who will be running the New York City Marathon, how are they associated with your organization?

“Everyone’s got a story. We do these shakeout runs in Central Park, Monday night was our last one before the marathon this Sunday. We probably had 15 or 20 people there. We’re a charity partner of New York Road Runners, we’re a silver level charity which is just unbelievable and I’m so grateful for it because it provides us so much opportunity. These folks are folks that have gotten scholarships. These are family members or people that have gotten scholarships, so they’ve watched our work and now they want to give back in some way. They are folks that have been affected by substance abuse. There was a guy there Monday night who lost his sister in 2021 and reached out to us and wanted to find a way to honor her life, and he’s raised money in her honor. Everyone’s got a connection. We had over 1,300 applicants to run with us, so we had to filter through all these stories that are so heavy and so personal and land on the 100 or so.”

The goal is to use this race to raise $1 million. Where do the funds go? How are they allocated?

“We have Release Recovery, which is a for profit, and then we have the Release Foundation, which is the nonprofit. The Release Foundation raises money and we have treatment partners that we work with. We’ll get the call, we’ll vet them, we’ll make sure that they confirm that they actually need this financial support, and then based on the clinical assessment and the need, we will reach out to one of our partners that is best served to service this person. There are partners that we have that we’ve worked with for many years.”

How did you connect with Reebok? And how has Reebok supported you? 

“I was on TV four years ago, I was on ‘The Bachelorette.’ I came out of that experience and connected with Reebok then. They were one of the first brands to really understand what my purpose and passion was. I come with a little bit of a different flavor, which is that at the core of who I am, I want to work with brands that want to make an impact. I might not move as many shoes, but they believe in me and the mission and mental health and making the world a better place. We worked together for a year to 18 months right after I came off the show. [Reebok PR manager] Will [Smiarowski] reached out and saw some of the work we had been doing in the community and said, ‘How do we get involved?’ They’ve just been unbelievable. I’ve trained in their shoes the entire time, which has been incredible. They just came out with their first carbon plated shoe. There’s so many brands out there that lack purpose and lack passion and lack real social impact drive, but Reebok is not one of them. They’ve been an incredible partner.”

How has your appearance on “The Bachelorette” impacted your work?

“Not to get out there in the weeds on the spirituality stuff, but I believe that I was put on this planet to do exactly what I’m doing, and that experience gave me a microphone or a megaphone or a platform that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. As a result, I’m talking to you right now, I wouldn’t be talking to you if that never happened. I’m a realist about that. I  feel like it’s my duty to fly that flag and do the best job I possibly can with the platform that I’ve been given so the Zac Clark that’s out there right now shooting heroin knows where to go when he’s ready to get some help.”

What is your go-to Reebok running shoe?

“The FloatZig X1 has been [worn during] the majority of my training. I’ll be in them Sunday. Tons and tons of miles in them. Reebok has really leveled up this year, so I’m excited to fly that flag on Sunday. The normal FloatZig without the carbon plate are good, but longer runs, I’ve been getting used to the carbon plate.”

Why does it work for you?

“Reebok is such a classic brand. I’m kind of a streetwear guy and I grew up loving Allen Iverson, that is my favorite athlete of all time and he was a Reebok guy, so this was a little bit surreal. What I look for in a shoe is stability, comfort, the way that my foot is shaped it works for me. There’s almost an elevated feel, like a platform feel, which makes me feel like I’m running downhill in them. This is the first iteration of this shoe and I think there’s going to be continued massive improvements. And they look good. Look good, play good.”

What does the future hold for Release Recovery?

“That’s something I think about a lot. We look at this world, there’s a lot of lonely people. When we look at the suicide numbers and the overdose numbers, you’re into the hundreds of thousands of people. When those people die, they’re dying alone. For us, it’s really about cultivating community, it’s about bringing people together, it’s about making sure that people know that there is help available. And if we’re able to continue to do that, I believe that the sky is the limit, and you’re going to see more partnerships like the one we have with Reebok and our flag is going to start to fly higher and higher with the end game of making this recovery from whatever it is that you’re going through available and eliminating some of that stigma.”