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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Business
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett

She started running to avoid dying young – but no workout gear fit. Now her clothing brand helps others

a woman stands for a portrait outside
Charlotte Young Bowens, the founder of Conscious Gear, wears her VestaPak at South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, on 4 April 2025. Photograph: Caitlin O’Hara/The Guardian

Charlotte Young Bowens was 48 years old and 48 miles into a 50-mile ultramarathon when suddenly she slumped to her knees and collapsed to the ground, emotionally and physically exhausted. Curled into the fetal position, she began crying harder than she had in years.

She wondered if she could finish. She rolled over on her back, looked up at the sky and thought back to a dark period in her life, when she was clinically depressed and not sure if she wanted to live. She no longer doubted. She knew she could and would finish the race.

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