Removing Barriers
February 10, 2017
Within the running community, we know that running has a magical capacity to uplift people. For me, the combination of a passionate coach and the nature of running transformed me from Cs and Ds in middle school to As in high school and an athletic scholarship to attend Georgetown University. Most runners share similar inspirational stories regarding the power of running.
Unfortunately, various barriers continue to obstruct the magic of running from spreading throughout all communities (see “Why is Running So White”). While Blacks and Hispanics comprise 61% of Chicago, they represent just 7% of the running population. Additionally, the rates of obesity and diabetes in the Black and Hispanic communities are alarming, particularly among Black women (56.9% obesity rate).
CARA launched ‘Go Run last year with the objective to activate underutilized neighborhood parks, build communities and encourage active lifestyle through running and volunteerism. ‘Go Run attracted over 3,000 finishers in year one and we can exceed 30,000 by expanding to 12 parks throughout the city and suburbs by 2020.
You can help CARA bring the gift of running to communities throughout Chicagoland via CARA membership, volunteering, running and donating.
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My Chicago Marathon Training Update:
Since I irritated my achilles on a muddy run in early January, I have been cross-training four days per week and strength training two days per week. I am rehabbing with Mike Bumroongsuk (Novacare Rehabilitation) & Dr. Chin (The Running Institute) and feel like I am ready to start running (test run this evening). It is going to take a lot of hard work and support to make it 26.2 in October, but I am determined to make it happen! While I don’t think I will be ready to race in five weeks at the Wintrust Lakefront 10 miler, I am planning to be ready for a ten mile long run.
Originally published at kevinjermyn.tumblr.com.
