Running did not bring me to New York, but in 2017 it kept me here.
To really set the stage for what that means, I guess I should let those of you who don’t know me know, that I was a former Division I sprinter and hurdler at the University of Kentucky. After graduation in 2013, I moved to New York, and was faced with a quarter life crisis. My entire being had been connected to the identifier of ‘athlete’ my whole life. I played several sports but running was the one that stuck.
My earliest memories of running go back to elementary school, racing the boys at recess and feeling the wind on my face, against my skin. It was an exhilarating feeling that I would chase for decades to come. Then, there I was, no longer a competitive athlete; I felt lost. So, I got a personal trainer and became obsessed with gym workouts. Flash forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics and I’m on a job in Atlanta. I was sharing a bathroom with this super cool, fashionable guy from Harlem. He couldn’t understand why I was so obsessed with the Olympics — I had the TV on, my tablet, my laptop and my phone to stream The Games. I explained to him that I knew several athletes competing because I was a collegiate tracklete. A couple of days later, I found out that he ran marathons! I couldn’t believe it….This was a cool, fashion guy, a regular guy, who ran marathons, for fun! I was floored. We got a couple runs in on that trip and started working out together back to New York. The bond was secured from there. This incredible person is none other than Harlem‘s very own, The Ultimate New Yorker, Kwasi Kessie. He continued to lead and host runs in 2017 that I would attend. I thought I was a distance runner, ha. I was running 3-4 miles. Coming from a sprinter background this was a pretty big deal for me.
That was a tough year for me though. I had recently finished design school and wasn’t having luck securing a job. I decided when my lease was up in 2018, I would head to LA. Then Kwasi introduced me to something that completely changed my relationship with running, adidas runners NYC. I started running 3, 4, 5, 6 miles — I couldn’t believe it. I knew I couldn’t leave New York yet, I had to discover the city in a new way. That year my longest distance was 6 miles, but I decided, “I’m going to run a marathon next year.” I didn’t know what it was gonna take for me to get there, I just knew I wanted to do it. In 2018, I was running the longest distances of my life every weekend with adidas runners NYC. In the spring of 2018, I ran my first half marathon, and began training for my first marathon shortly after. I’ve run one every year since and am excited to be running the New York City Marathon, for the first time EVER, this year!
I am excited to be fundraising on behalf of an incredible organization called Legal Services NYC, the nation’s largest civil legal services provider. Their work consists of targeted advocacy, training and funding to support low-income communities throughout New York City began in the 1960s!
Running did not bring me here but running sure has kept me in New York City, continuously showing me a new way to see this beautiful city. I would love your support on this journey through a monetary donation as well as loving texts, and hopefully race day cheers!
