Olya Prevo-White

By Linda Waxman Finkle

Age: 40
From: Kyiv, Ukraine
Family: Husband, Chris, Children, Natalie 3, Sasha (deceased, would be 5), Stepchildren, Jordan 28, Patrick 28, Eve 25, Myah 15
Lives in: Mechanicville
Career: Electrical Engineer, Electrician
Sports: Running, Triathlon

Turning Adversity into Action

The most difficult challenges in our lives sometimes become the defining ones. Personal losses from death, divorce, war, and disease can stop us in our tracks, and many lose hope, struggling silently and often alone. Others, however, find that taking bold action is the best solace. Olya Prevo-White is an excellent example of that, doing enormous good on a local and global level, by bringing communities together.

Olya is the race director for Sasha’s Superhero Run, named in memory of her son who died of SIDS at 24 days old, on Christmas Eve in 2016, her birthday. Within days, she took her grief and poured it into creating the 5K charity event, acknowledging the “superhuman” strength it takes to survive the death of a child. That first year, Olya raised over $10,000, with the Ronald McDonald House in Albany as the beneficiary. Over five years, Sasha’s Run has raised more than $54,000, persevering through Covid where others did not.

But this year is different. Born in Kyiv, Olya still has family living there, including her parents, her brother, and his wife and children. What we see on the news, they face on a daily basis: missile attacks, shortages of all the basic necessities, and buildings hit by rockets – including one that her aunt lives in. For 2022, Sasha’s Run, scheduled for Sunday, May 1 at Halfmoon Town Park, will send funds to the global Ronald McDonald House Charities, and also to families suffering in Ukraine. Through her contacts, she is able to offer direct support to individuals bringing food to temporary shelters; to day care providers and parents who need to buy medicine and food; to a friend who’s converted his tour bus to evacuate families from besieged cities and take them across the border; and to those creating “child corners” at bomb shelters. 

At the Adirondack Sports Expo in March, she collected medical supplies that will be shipped through 518Ukrainians, a local collective of churches and other organizations working to meet the needs of those affected in the war-torn region. For more info, visit: 518ukrainians.com.

Why did Olya choose to build a running event as a way to deal with her terrible loss and pain? “I love the community,” she responds with a glowing smile. Not particularly athletic as a child, but with a mother who is a piano teacher, Olya played domra, guitar, and piano, and sang as well. Always adventurous, she came to the US at 19 through a college exchange program and decided to stay. The mental health benefits of running attracted her, and she started out on her own, running a 5K on the 4th of July, and signed up for a marathon immediately after. Not knowing anyone else who was training, she got up to 20 miles before sustaining an injury that made it impossible to run that distance. Then she joined the Southern Saratoga YMCA in Clifton Park, started training with one of the running groups there, and everything changed.

Since then, Olya has participated in two century bike rides and a marathon for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, raising over $10,000 in the process; she’s also completed several other marathons, triathlons, two Ironmans, and various other races. “Sports helped me find a community of people who pushed me beyond limits. Sharing that with other people is what feeds me,” she says. She fuels that passion by currently mentoring other women preparing for the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K in Albany on June 4. Through their Training Challenge, she and about 30 other mentors run with and provide guidance to the 200 women in the program. She’s also training for the Hudson Crossing Triathlon in Schuylerville on June 5, which includes a 500-yard swim, 12-mile bike, and 5K run.

Olya calls her husband, Chris, who is a blackbelt in karate, “…a professional bell ringer and cheerleader,” and their kids enjoy softball and Tae Kwon Do. When she’s not chasing her active toddler, Natalie, she works as a Solar Project Manager for C.T. Male Associates, helping entrepreneurial developers build solar farms as part of New York State’s goals for renewable energy. Focused on sustainability, she is part of the growing industry that helps organizations reduce their operational costs and carbon footprint through energy audits and adoption of renewable energy.

Olya is also involved with EASE (Empty Arms Support Effort), a group for bereaved parents that meets monthly at the Ronald McDonald House, to provide friendship and support. The feelings of isolation that come with the death of a child can be overwhelming, and well-meaning friends often don’t know what to say or do. That’s one of the reasons for the special memorial ceremony at the end of Sasha’s Run. Families who have lost children can come and read their names out loud; then there’s a community soap bubble release. “There’s something about saying your child’s name,” Olya remarks, and it is a meaningful and important part of the day for all.

That day is now less than a month away, and Olya is busy with all of the details of Sasha’s Run, including preparing the raffle prizes, lining up corporate sponsors, and everything else that goes into managing an event with close to 300 participants. Superhero costumes are strongly encouraged, and special recognition is given to the fastest four-person team. There are also two free Kids Runs (100 yards for the little ones and a quarter-mile for those a bit older), as well as a playground to keep the very youngest runners busy and happy. 

On the run’s website, we read, “Sasha taught us how bright and joyous life can be, and that every moment should be treasured.” Thank you, Olya, for helping us smile through the tears, and reminding us to be grateful every day; your important work and positive approach to life are an inspiration to us all. To register or make a donation to Sasha’s Superhero Run, go to: sashasrun.com.

Linda Waxman Finkle (lwf518@gmail.com) is a kayaking and snowshoeing instructor for L.L.Bean, and works on sports events for various companies. She volunteers with STRIDE Adaptive Sports, Hudson-Mohawk Search and Rescue, and DKMS-Delete Blood Cancer, enjoys traveling, and is doing coursework to become an adaptive scuba diving buddy.