Social Sport

Today I am speaking with Jessica Guo. Jess is a York City cyclist, and the founding member and current team captain of Ostroy Racing and Development. Without a doubt, cycling is an extremely white, male-dominated sport. In New York City, in 2017, only 17% of competitive cyclists identified as women! Over the last few months, jess has spearheaded a team that aims to represent a “refresh button” for femme, transgender, and women ridership. And it has grown fast--now holding a roster of 64 riders. Formerly called Ostroy Women’s Team, Ostroy Racing and Development is not just for people who identify as women. Instead, Jess wants to continue making cycling accessible to people of all genders, races, and financial backgrounds.

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Ben Chan is an ultra runner and activist, perhaps best known in the New York running community for his racing attire—leopard print short-shorts and a cowboy hat. But in recent times, Ben has also become well known for his activism. Today, we focus on Ben’s exchanges with a certain, high-profile race director (Gary Cantrell AKA "Lazarus Lake") who banned Black Lives Matter from his events. It can be difficult to talk negatively about people who have large followings, lots of power, and have created events that are, frankly, important to the running community. But Ben and I both feel that we need to hold everyone accountable for their words and for the communities they create—in sports and beyond. This episode was recorded about a week ago, and since that time, more exchanges have unfolded; "Lazarus Lake" shared his racist speech openly on a prominent podcast. So Ben’s sentiments shared in this episode are, perhaps, even more important.

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Addie Bracy is a professional runner for Nike Trail, with a wide range of running accolades to her name—including qualifying for the Olympic Trials in both the marathon and the 10K and being named USATF Women's Mountain Runner of the Year three times! Addie holds a Masters in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver and works as both a running coach and a mental performance consultant. Notably, she is the cofounder of OUTrun, an organization dedicated to empowering and connecting LGBTQ+ individuals in the running community. Recently, Addie was also named a Runners Alliance Ambassador, a role that allows her to spread awareness about harassment on the run. In this episode, we talk all about OUTrun, how women’s intersecting identities affect safety, and why feeling safe and included is crucial to running performance.

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“It was taking such a mental and emotional toll on me that it was crushing my running career.…I came out publicly and three weeks later won my first national championship.”

“It’s not enough to not discriminate; you need to be actively inviting people”

“This sport has given me everything and my whole life has revolved around it…I have so much passion for the world of running, but it does have a long way to go. My hopes and dreams for the rest of my career is to make it better than it was when I got here.”

Sidney Baptista (Sid) is the founder of Pioneers Run Crew, the host of the Fitness in Color Podcast, a father, and an individual passionate about the power of running to create connections, elevate voices, and champion change. Based in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Sid is currently building a performance streetwear brand, PYNRS, and working as a consultant on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the running industry. 

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“Don’t make your first Black hire the head of diversity. Black people need to be at every facet of the job—in social media, in writing, in product development, in decision-making, on the board—at every level. Unless you have that, everything that you do is a band aid solution.”

“Sport is a great equalizer. Especially running. As much as running is a solo sport it’s a connector… and I think the more we run side by side, the more we meet eye to eye.”

Yuki Hebner is currently a PhD candidate at UCLA, studying molecular biology in a neuroscience lab. She is also a 2017 alumna and former Cross Country and Track athlete at Wesleyan University. In March 2020, Yuki wrote an open letter to Wesleyan University, signed by 36 track and cross-country alumni. The letter described how their head coach, John Crooke, fostered a toxic culture within the program. For over a decade, athletes had been called in for so-called “fat talks," where Crooke would tell runners to lose weight, and make them log the food and calories they ate. Within the program, injuries, body shaming, and eating disorders were rampant. Crooke eventually retired in August, amidst alumni and student outrage.

Yuki wants listeners to know that this is not a personal sob-story. This is a peek into a widespread and ongoing problem across the sport of distance running.

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Matilda (aka Tilly) is an award-winning journalist, creative and avid runner who took up long distance running in 2011. Since then, she’s completed more than 30 race events including 15 half marathons, four marathons, an ultra marathon, Tough Mudder and the Ride London 100 mile bike ride. She’s passionate about encouraging black and brown women to pursue fitness, so in 2018, she qualified as a Leadership in Running Fitness coach to facilitate group sessions around London and beyond. She’s also an ETM instructor in training and will deliver virtual sessions from September 2020.

Fly Girl Collective is a London-based movement and a community committed to 1. Celebrating and promoting diversity and representation in fitness, and 2. Inspiring black and brown women to pursue a fitness lifestyle.

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On August 22nd, 2020, over 100 cyclists road from Seneca village in Manhattan, NY. These cyclists were part of the group Ride to DC, and over six days, they would bike 300 miles--from New York to Washington D.C. Now a nonprofit, Ride to DC started as a movement to recognize the existence and significance of Black lives. On August 28th, they landed in DC to take part in the Commitment March on Washington and demand justice for Black lives. In this episode, I chat with two of the leaers of Ride to DC,  Erin Poland (@erin_poland) and Roberto Godinez (@robertoagodinez). 

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On June 14th, 2020, 700 runners met at the East River Ampitheater in Manhattan, New York—masks on their faces and clad in white clothing. They were running in response to the reckoning on White supremacy and racial violence that had spread around the country. This was the first event in the Running to Protest Movement. Four events would follow, where hundreds of runners, would flood the bridges and streets of New York, demanding justice for Black people. I wanted to learn more about the Running to Protest movement, and how it is affecting the New York running community. This episode features two interviews which explore the power of running to demand justice and amplify a movement in "the greatest city in the world." 

First, I speak with Coffey, the founder of Running to Protest and much more: a Brooklyn-based father, filmmaker, runner, actor, model, and founder of Define New York Run Club. Coffey is, simply, a powerhouse in the New York running community and beyond. He talks openly about the reality of being a Black runner in NYC, and the creation and future of Running to Protest.

Next, I speak with Chris Chavez, Sports Illustrated journalist and founder of CITIUS MAG, through which he hosts various podcasts including the CITIUS MAG Podcast and Runners of NYC. Chris holds much insight on the New York running community, due to personal involvement and his journalism. 

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