Runners of NYC Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

“What I love about being out here and doing this is that I didn’t think it was accessible. I didn’t think I was going to run sub-3. Why would I think that? That’s crazy. But what I’ve been able to do is inspire people, which I wasn’t trying to do but I feel good about that. I just want us to all feel – especially Black American women – that we can do that. I started because I wanted to train and get faster. There’s nothing stopping anyone from doing that.”

My guest for this episode is Erica Stanley Dottin, who is a mother of two, a wife and runs with Black Roses NYC. She is a producer and also works as the Tracksmith New York City Community Manager. At 48 years old, she just ran 2:52:05 for a huge personal best at the Berlin Marathon. The time makes her the 25th Black American woman to break three hours in the marathon since 1973. It’s a list that started being tracked by Ted Corbitt and is now kept by his son, Gary. We discuss her running career from her sprinting days at Georgetown to what called her to the marathon. What started off as a fun hobby for herself in the mid-2000s, she eventually found the Black Roses and coach Knox Robinson in New York City which elevated her training. We talk about how she managed to do it all and the inspiration she serves to other women in her community.

You can follow Erica on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/estanleydott/

This is Runners of NYC. A podcast from CITIUS MAG. Host Chris Chavez looks to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter | @RunnersOfNYC

Email any comments, feedback or possible sponsorship ideas to runnersofnyc@gmail.com

Music for the show is by Future Generations. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

“It’s refreshing because I spent quite a long time in my career thinking about being in the top 1%. Being able to pull back and realize that there is this joy and enjoyment that people have to go out…They may not have a reason to get up other than to be with some other people or have time for themselves in the chaotic space that is New York. It was nice to engage with running in a different way. That’s why it brings me a refreshment and a perspective that there are so many different stories and reasons why people are doing this and it doesn’t always have to be about making it to the very upper echelon.”

For this episode, we welcome Rebeka Stowe. She is a hell of an athlete and has qualified for the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships seven times in her career, including the 2012 Olympic Trials in the steeplechase. She is a former Big 12 Conference champion while attending Kansas. She trained professionally for some time with the New Jersey-New York Track Club under legendary coach Frank Gagliano. He is just one of the handful of great coaches that she has surrounded herself with throughout her career, which has played a major role in her own coaching of all levels including high school. She's someone who has led so many people through their own running ups and downs because she cares about the person before the performance and you''ll learn why. She leads runs on Monday evenings out of As Is NYC in Hells Kitchen so if you're feeling inspired after she shares her story, join her for a run out of there.

Follow Rebeka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebekastowe/

This is Runners of NYC. A podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Zac Price and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter | @RunnersOfNYC

Email any comments, feedback or possible sponsorship ideas to runnersofnyc@gmail.com

Music for the show is by Future Generations. Podcast artwork by Kyle Klosinski.

“I was in my own little bubble for a long time...I think if I had a sense of how bad I was, I don’t know if I would have continued. I love that in New York you can go to all these local races and kind of place high without having these super performances. I think that gave me some teasers that I could kind of be good at this.”

Somehow the World Athletics World Half Marathon Championships are still set to take place on Oct. 17 in Poland. For this episode, we are joined by Marie who was set to represent France in her first-ever world championship but is 99% certain that she is not comfortable making the trip amid the global pandemic and may have to skip the race. 

However, she still managed to qualify with an impressive 1:14:12 half marathon back in January in Houston. She's also run 2:36.23 for the full marathon last October in Chicago. Our very own Leigh Anne Sharek has raced against her many times in the city and can attest that Marie is definitely one of the city's fiercest competitors. 

She runs for the Queens Distance Runners. For more on that group, check out our past episode with founder and captain Kevin Montalvo. We touch on how she connected with that group but most importantly how she made major leaps in training once she teamed up with her coach and husband Luciano Medina. Together, they operate and run Coach Medina NYC. You'll also learn more about her own coaching philosophy.

Follow  Marie-Ange on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/marie11201/

Check out Coach Medina NYC and Marie-Ange's offerings here: https://www.coachmedinanyc.com/

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"We, as Bronx Femme, promote health and wellness not just in our little running community but we run the streets...It's not just for folks to come on a run but it's also to show the Bronx that we can run. We're running in the hoods. We're running in all the crevices of the Bronx. I really hope that Bronx Femme is inspiring people. This isn't normal to see runners in the Bronx so when they see us, they're always like 'What is going on?' We're breaking necks out here. I really hope people see us, join us and talk about us to further promote in the Bronx because that is so important, especially right now in the pandemic. It's so important."

For this episode, we are joined by Michelle Nguyen and Amy Ortiz. They are both Bronx residents and two of the founders of the Bronx Femme Run. The group's mission statement says they aim to create a space where all women run free. They meet on the first Friday of every month and connect women from all across the city and specifically the Bronx. In this episode, we'll learn how the group came to be, what they're doing to build that safe space and how they're resetting and regaining momentum after the coronavirus pandemic hit their respective communities. This group is fairly new so we hope you enjoy getting to know them.

Follow Bronx Femme Run on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronxfemmerun/

Follow Michelle: https://www.instagram.com/michelledarce/

Follow Amy: https://www.instagram.com/alocurls/

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“By being last, I obviously didn’t want to be last. I wanted to just beat one kid in swimming, running or whatever it was. I just wanted to get a little bit faster. Having that mindset of ‘getting a little bit faster’ is really what took me all around the world on a competitive world stage. Just wanting to be a little bit better each day and each time I compete...It was a slow progression of keep moving forward and really not letting the naysayers get to you. When you’re doing something unique and different, there will always be people who say that will not be possible or something negative about it.”

Rudy Garcia-Tolson is a four-time U.S. Paralympian in swimming and track. He has got a truly inspiring story that starts with being born with popliteal pterygium syndrome that resulted in a club foot, webbed fingers on both hands, a cleft lip and the inability to straighten his legs. 

At 5 years old and after many operations, he made the decision to amputate both of his legs and move forward with his life on prosthetics. This allowed him to get his start in sports and primarily swimming where he’d usually be the last one to finish races. He never gave up and set incremental goals along the way, which eventually landed him representing the U.S. at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. When it comes to running, he has set American records in his age group and classification in distances from the 400 meters to the half marathon. He has also completed an Ironman.

In addition to all of that, he’s done a lot of work with New York Road Runners in guiding kids with disabilities to get their own start in sports and running. You’d think that four Paralympics would be enough for someone but the pandemic has bought him an extra year to try and make a run for a 5th. He was recently profiled in The New York Times about this because there was a point where he had to improvise and just run 10 miles in Brooklyn without much else to do for training. We hope you all learn more about everything Rudy has had to overcome and persevere.

Read Rudy's story in the Times by Matthew Futterman: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/sports/olympics/rudy-garcia-tolson-paralympics.html

Follow Rudy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rudygarciatolson/

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“I think where the dialogue really happens is in a Black Men Run group chat that we have. Just think about what we’re all feeling when that situation happens with George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery. It really gets to a point where we don’t feel OK. We’re not alright. We try to support each other as best as we can but the reality is our job as Black Men Run is to show our community what we can do as a unit through running and to be role models. When I joined and we started doing the hood runs, just seeing the power of people in those communities seeing us as a unit and sticking together, I can’t even put a value on that. It’s so grand. That’s where a lot of hope lies – in seeing Black men like ourselves stepping out there and choosing to stick together in a positive way. In Black Men Run, we have doctors, principals, lawyers, chiropractors, educators and the list goes on. It’s just a good place where not only are we connecting through running but we stay connected outside of that and work on various things.

It wasn’t a big group when they started in New York City. They stuck with it. That to me and where we’re at now is more about how they built that. Now, how do I take what they built and figure out what I can build through the things I have talent in. They were really pivotal in being an example to me and the power of sticking together with something that has meaning.

One thing I’m learning is: Everything I want to do has to have a purpose. I try to think of that purpose before I do it. I’m starting to speak up with a purpose. I want people to be more vulnerable. I want people to share their stories. I want them to let people know how they’re really feeling. I think for too long and in my workplace with certain friends that I have who are white, I’ve held back on having real conversations with them for a real long time. Do you know who that’s affecting the most? Me. Because I’m holding that inside. I can’t reach my full potential until I let all of this out. My biggest message to people is to encourage them to use their voice. We all have a story. Life is difficult. Whether you’re dealing with racism or some other trauma that maybe you’ve been dealing with since you were a kid, these stories need to be let out. I’d rather know the real you than the person you perceive to be. To me, that’s when we can brick by brick lay the foundation for a better future for our youth. They need to know some of the truth."

Jason Fulford is a Gowanus, Brooklyn native. He is the coordinator of community programs for Community Roots Charter School. When he's not working, he's likely running as a member of Black Men Run and The Running Edge. He is also known as the cousin of Eric Garner, who died on July 17, 2014 when a New York City police officer tackled him and put him into a fatal chokehold. Garner's dying words – "I can't breathe" –  helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement to protest racial injustice in America. Five years after Garner's death, Jason partnered with Overthrow NYC to host the Run for Justice in 2019. This year, the run is back and will be held on July 18. Hear about Jason's work as an activist, how running has been his therapy, his role as a father and educator during this important movement, his relationship with Eric Garner and what his hope is for the future.

Follow Jason on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jayfuf15/

Register for the Run for Justice here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/run-for-justice-2020-tickets-109435273850

New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/video-dept/eric-garners-family-is-still-grieving

Garner Way Foundation

"My daughter said to me the other day, 'I want to be a police officer, Daddy, so I can be a good one and make changes.' I said, 'That's good, baby. Listen to all the conversations that are happening because you don't have to make this decision yet. Originally, she wanted to be a teacher. My mother is a teacher. I'm kind of a teacher in how I articulate things to my community. Now with everything going on, I think she's kind of re-thinking things and trying to figure out her purpose in all of this. She's also hearing about the children of the future. She said that to me yesterday, 'Daddy, I keep hearing them say 'children of the future' and that's me, right?' She's understanding that she's going to be the one and her generation are going to be the ones to change this indefinitely. We're moving the big boulders out of the way but they're going to come through and they're going to clean up the dirt and get the rubble out. They're going to get something growing here."

Nova Church is a captain for The Bronx Sole. If his voice sounds a little bit familiar to you, it's because he was one of the leaders who spoke at Coffey's run to protest. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, we highly recommend checking it out. In this episode, we continue the conversation amid the Black Lives Matter movement about the changes that we're pushing for as a community. Nova expands on his call to action and what he wants to see from all of us. He also shares some insight into how he started getting active in running, why helping improve the health of the Bronx keeps him motivated and the unity among the Bronx running division. People said 'The marathon continues' when Nipsey Hussle died but Nova is someone who is living that daily.

Follow Nova Church on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/nova.church/

Follow The Bronx Sole on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bronxsole/

Nova's suggested charity: The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. For more information visit: https://www.bronxdefenders.org/

❤️ Please consider supporting our work. We want to continue pushing out the podcast on a bi-weekly basis and bring you quality audio for our guests. we're simply asking for you to set aside a few dollars that might go toward a coffee or dollar slice to support our work. In return, we'll do our best to put together exclusive episodes, interviews and maybe some video for those supporters. The NYC running community is awesome and we'd appreciate the assistance: www.patreon.com/runnersofnyc

👕 MERCH NOW AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.bonfire.com/runners-of-nyc-podcast/

On Sunday, June 14th, hundreds of New York City runners gathered at the East River Amphitheatre for a two-mile protest run against racial injustice and police brutality in America. The run was organized by Coffey – who was recently a guest on our show and has emerged as one of the city's most vocal activists in the fight against racism. He called on all New York City runners to come together and run together as one community. He initially expected 40 to 60 people to show up but there were hundreds. It was further proof that everyone in the running community will take the time to run together, protest together, listen together and make change together.

After the run, there was a speaker series with crew leaders sharing personal stories of their encounters with racism, what it means to be Black in America and how you can help make a change. Coffey granted us permission to share the audio from the conversation.

The speakers are listed below with timestamps so that you can pick up on hearing everything they had to share because it's important. We have also included their respective Instagram handles so you can follow them.

Coffey of DeFine New York Run Club: 3:44 (@thatcoffeyboy)

Pastor Craig Holliday of the Brooklyn Tabernacle: 13:08

New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchel Silver: 17:50 (@mitchell_silver)

Cheryl Donald of Brooklyn Track Club: 23:56 (@blackpearlruns)

Dao-Yi Chow of Old Man Run Club: 32:54 (@alldaydaoyi)

Mike Saes of Bridge Runners: 43:40 (@mikesaes)

Jessie Zapo of Girls Run NYC: 47:48 (@jessiezapo)

Hector Espinal of We Run Uptown: 56:36 (@hecisdead)

Julissa Tejada of Wilpower Fitness: 1:01:09 (@mrs._wilpower_)

Jason Fulford of The Running Edge & the cousin of Eric Garner (@jayfuf15): 1:05:59

Steve Finley of Brooklyn Track Club: 1:14:21 (@steve__finley)

Nova Church of Bronx Sole: 1:19:11 (@nova.church)

Power Malu of Bridgerunners: 1:28:00 (@powermalu)

Cover photo provided Steven Rojas | @stevenrojas

"I saw that there was this lack of representation within this space. Even though I'm going it at a recreational level, I started to see the reactions and responses to people who were finding out that this is something I was actually doing. It is very normal for folks to just think, 'Oh you're in the sprinter category or you're you're more for short, fast distances or jumping' and that's the end of the road. Even my family and friends finding out that I am running these longer distances, my parents were even like, 'Oh my gosh. This is so wild and we're so excited to see you.' My little cousins were looking up to me and saying, 'Oh my God, Ameerah! This is so cool that you're doing this' and asking questions. For me, seeing that beginning to happen made me think there's something that's here. There's this sense of representation that's definitely lacking. Now that I have this opportunity to show up and be in this space, it's super important to stay there and continue moving forward. This is available to any and everybody...There's a lot of self-limiting beliefs but then we also have socioeconomic limitations that are set on certain groups of people. Speaking to this conversation and leaning into just showing up. I'm a huge advocate of just showing up. That's something that I always say. For me personally, it became this super important thing to just keep showing up and taking up space to a certain degree."

Ameerah Omar is a self-development coach and meditation teacher but also the mindset coach for Adidas Runners and one of the first members of Girls Run NYC. In this episode, Ameerah shares some advice for how we can all go about getting in the right headspace in such weird times, the importance of a routine and taking inventory of your well-being at the moment. We dive into her upbringing, her introduction to sport and how she went from a multi-sport athlete in college to frequently running marathons. Ameerah shares some insights into her involvement and the mission of Girls Run NYC as one of the city's groups using running as service and helping others. We also continue the discussion of race and running with Ameerah and how she's been grappling with the news of Ahmaud Arbery's death. Ameerah was another guest that was frequently requested from our listeners so we're happy to finally bring you her story.

Follow Ameerah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameerah_omar/

Check out Girls Run NYC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsrunnyc/

❤️ Please consider supporting our work. We want to continue pushing out the podcast on a bi-weekly basis and bring you quality audio for our guests. we're simply asking for you to set aside a few dollars that might go toward a coffee or dollar slice to support our work. In return, we'll do our best to put together exclusive episodes, interviews and maybe some video for those supporters. The NYC running community is awesome and we'd appreciate the assistance: www.patreon.com/runnersofnyc

👕 MERCH NOW AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.bonfire.com/runners-of-nyc-podcast/

"My grandfather told us from the jump, ‘Don’t ever let color separate you from anything. Don’t the color of green get you into any kind of trouble with another color but always accept another color besides your color and because we can all be a family together. Don’t worry about whoever it is that hates your color. You were born this color for a reason and wear it with pride.’ That’s what I’ve been doing since that day. I’m not afraid to speak my mind because I’m black. I just pay attention to my surroundings at all times at 110% level."

To start, we address the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man in Georgia who was fatally gunned down by two white men while jogging near his home. Arbery was killed on Feb. 23. A legal argument from a district attorney, who later recused himself from the case, follows and says that no one should be arrested. However, after the 36-second video footage of the shooting is made public, outrage follows and the two men are eventually arrested. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault.

Harlem Run founder Alison Desir (who was a guest on this podcast) expressed her frustration with the lack of coverage by the sports and running media. Following her Instagram post, coverage ramped up and Arbery's face was posted everywhere. Desir wrote the following essay for Outside Magazine. You can read it here (https://www.outsideonline.com/2413115/ahmaud-arbery-murder-whiteness-running-community)

This is an issue that is certainly important and underscores that we could all do better about having and acting on these conversations.

Our guest for this episode is Coffey. He is a father, husband, filmmaker, Nike running pacer and the founder of Define New York Run Club. This conversation was on our schedule before the Arbery shooting but we take the first 30 minutes of our talk to address the story, its impact on him and how he relates to the likes of Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin. We go back to his roots in North Carolina, how he got his start in fashion and filmmaking, why he got hooked on group running and then ultimately starting his own group.

You may have seen him on recent episodes of ‘For Life’ but his big project has been the short film “About the People” which hosts a very powerful and honest conversation about social justice and inequalities by black and brown men at the hands of police brutality. Coffey was one of the writers on the film and drew some inspiration from the conversations he’s had to have with his oldest son on police brutality.

Follow Coffey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ThatCoffeyBoy/

Follow Define New York Run Club: https://www.instagram.com/DefineNewYorkRunClub/

More on 'About The People': https://www.instagram.com/AboutThePeopleFilm/

❤️ Please consider supporting our work. We want to continue pushing out the podcast on a bi-weekly basis and bring you quality audio for our guests. we're simply asking for you to set aside a few dollars that might go toward a coffee or dollar slice to support our work. In return, we'll do our best to put together exclusive episodes, interviews and maybe some video for those supporters. The NYC running community is awesome and we'd appreciate the assistance: www.patreon.com/runnersofnyc

👕 MERCH NOW AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.bonfire.com/runners-of-nyc-podcast/