“Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it” – Oprah Winfrey.
Eighteen months before The Running Charity (TRC) was founded back in 2012, a close friend had passed away from a heroin overdose, at which point I left my degree in order to find the answers to all the questions in my head. I began researching drug addiction and homelessness and at the same time I turned to running as my salvation in search of clarity and self-affirmation. It was not until a year later that these two worlds came together in any kind of tangible way.
I contacted a homeless centre and together with Alex, a sports-worker at the Centre, and close friend James, we set about creating a programme for those experiencing homelessness to use and feel the same powerful benefits that I myself had already been experiencing and that I was beginning to realise was something special that everyone gets from running.
In the wake of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, myself and Alex felt it was time to run a pilot programme to action our theories and research with the young people at our partnering hub New Horizon Youth Centre, King’s Cross London. Now, we are incredibly blessed to be in a position to help hundreds of young people escape homelessness all together, but it’s not just down to the hard work and experience that the team brings to the table – there is a stronger element at play here.
Fitness, and running in-particular, is as good for your mind as it is for your body. Just as Oprah’s saying expresses, if you put in the commitment, you will receive 100% of the benefits. That’s why at TRC we have a goal-orientated programme, which encourages our members to set and reach their own physical targets and demonstrates to them just what hard work and motivation can achieve. Ultimately, we help the young people to transfer this approach to their everyday lives whilst we work in tandem to relieve their most pressing needs.
The camaraderie between runners is like no other. No matter your gender, sexuality, background or circumstance – when you run, you are a runner. A title shared by millions from every corner of the globe. There’s a beautiful sense of equalisation with this notion.
Anyone who runs would have started from the beginning and most would have struggled with their first steps, with the exception of the very few. When you become good at running, you still have the respect for those just starting out. On top of that, even when you’re good, every runner still has their bad days. You help those around you when they struggle because you never know when you’ll need that support in return. Again this brings the uniting sense that you are all equal despite any differences in abilities between you.
Running clubs are a brilliant example of a supportive community. They are so good in fact, that our blueprint of the programme is based upon them. Running buddies soon become your friends, mainly because week after week you’ve shared your life stories, sweated a bucket load and looked your worst without caring or being judged. Similarly, our members support each other every step of the way through their self-transformation, and become like a family in the process. Our family doesn’t end there, our staff and volunteers are a huge part of it, as well as our fundraisers and supporters.
Research on the effects of running is low and what little there is that does reach the popular media is often confusing. For example, a very popular piece “proving” long-term running is bad for you, which recently hit the mainstream media, directly contradicted itself with the research reporting differently to the actual statements that were used in the press. We don’t like the fact that society doesn’t truly know the benefits that running, fitness and sport has on people. So since May 2013, we have been a member of Sported and are involved in helping them to show that sport-for-development is a viable industry for helping people in need. We have also teamed up with Basis Research to analyse our work and to quantify the effects that it has in the real world. We aim to inform the world of the true benefits of sport.
Let’s also not forget what Nelson Mandela, a legend of our lifetime, achieved with sport and the saying he once said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
The benefits I outlined above are just a few reasons why running is a powerful motivational tool. For our members, running is an essential part of their journey towards gaining the confidence and self-esteem needed to engage in the opportunities available to them and ultimately inspiring them to create real long lasting change in their lives.
I work hard to ensure that TRC continues to be a proactive community and hub for social good. As runners, we already raise millions for so many worthy charities and good causes, now we also use running as a solution to a world-wide prevalent issue – I know, together, we can be an influential force towards a just society.
Happy Running,
James Gilley
@RunGilleyRun