The sound of sneakers, heavy breaths and fun echoed across the Uniondale High School track as runners of every pace — from first timers to experienced half-marathoners — ran for “We Outside Wednesday”.
The Inside Out Run Club celebrated its second birthday on July 8 – Long Island based club chose the high school as one of the hub locations, traveling to different parts of Long Island.
Yet, the high school was chosen intentionally as part of its mission to make running and wellness more accessible in historically underserved communities.
“We wanted to find purpose in the community,” said Lauren French, co-founder of run club. “We wanted to reach out to diverse folks and make sure they felt included and had a means for health and wellness.
About a dozen members warmed up before hitting the track, where they ran or walked four laps — the equivalent of one mile. Afterward, French and co-founder Dr. Nicole Sample-Harris led members through a series of short exercises.
Sometimes Black and Latino communities can be a little disenfranchised,” she added. “Sometimes run clubs can feel a little exclusive, and we just wanted to nurture inclusivity.”
The club has expanded from a handful of runners into an organization that hosts weekly runs across Nassau and Suffolk counties and has launched a nonprofit arm, Inside Out Impact.
“Uniondale High School has become a hub of ours,” French said. “We really do try to keep it local when we’re over here in Nassau.”
The club’s mission is also rooted in addressing health disparities.
“When you look at the actual data, Black and Latino communities tend to fall short when it comes to cardiovascular health,” Sample-Harris said.
We really want to highlight the places in our community and meet our people where they’re at,” Sample-Harris said.
Word-of-mouth, social media and partnerships with local businesses have helped expand the club’s reach. Weekly runs remain open to those interested in participating.
“We have people who’ve never run a race a day in their lives now doing 5Ks,” Sample-Harris said. “We have people who completed their first half marathon with us. People definitely have their individual whys, whether it’s community, fitness or wanting to accomplish something they’ve never done before.”
Among those running laps at Uniondale High was Uniondale resident and 2007 graduate Chris Harris, who joined the club in January. Growing up, he never considered himself a runner.
“I was more of a basketball fan, football fan,” he said. “I was always slim. I was always slow. So I never participated.”
Now, he completes 5K races nearly every month and collects medals he never imagined earning. “I didn’t even know what a 5K was,” he said. “Now I’m a totally different person.”
He said the one transformation running can be is mental health.
“The mental part is half the battle, if not the majority of the battle,” Chris said. “When we get tired, mentally we have to push past that barrier. It’s just convincing yourself not to stop and trying to be better than your last performance.”
