Today is a special day!

After today's Monday run, we have a special celebration complete with gluten free brownies, orange juice and coffee courtesy of Coffee Bean.

What was the occasion you ask?  Today was the birthday of our founder, Judge Craig Mitchell.  If hadn't been born 63 years ago, it's unlikely the Skid Row Running Club would have been founded.

We had a good group come out to support.  At the end of run, a couple homeless folks came out to join us.  One of them was Roderick Brown.  He is a gentleman that Judge Mitchell sentenced to prison many years ago.  Roderick was paroled to the Midnight Mission.  While he was there, he reached out the Craig and invited him to visit to see what he was up to.

Judge Mitchell in typical fashion ran to the Midnight Mission, which is about 1 mile from the downtown LA Superior Courts.  When got there and took a look around, he had a meeting with the then director of the Midnight Mission.  They talked and thus the Skid Row Running Club was born.

Stormtroopers in Jerusalem

All 40 plus members of the Skid Row Running Club had new running jackets for our most recent international marathon in Jerusalem.

The jackets were provided by one of our sponsor's Ellen's Silkscreening.  The colors were very 'vibrant' and certainly captured a lot of attention during our trip.

As long time club member, Ben Shirley, said "We looked like Stormtroopers entering into the marathon expo and lining up to get our bibs."

Why the Skid Row Running Club works

We are a community, a family.  We show up for each other and we genuinely care.  In the Skid Row Running Club income, status, social standing and occupation are irrelevant.  There is an atmosphere of non-judgment.

Many people in society feel constantly judged, as if they aren't good enough.  People in addiction recovery and experiencing homelessness especially feel this way.  Marginalized.

Feeling like you are not good enough and not worth of acceptance is very debilitating.  It makes it hard for you to become motivated to do anything postive.

In the Skid Row Running Club, lawyers, judges, LAPD Officers, executives, students, recovering addicts and the homeless run side by side.   Everyone that is out before the crack of dawn and pushing themselves physically is a person with admirable, redeeming qualities.  When that person learns to get up, show up and run again and again, they learn something about themselves.  In fact, we all do.

They learn that the are good enough, they learn that they are accepted for who they are and more importantly they learn the grit and resilience necessary to succeed in their lives as a result of running.  

Not everyone in recovery or experiencing homelessness is successful the first time, in fact it often takes several attempts.  Running is like that as well, but you learn to bounce back.   We members who have left our program, have left because of relapse or some other personal problem, they come back.  They come back because the know they are welcome and won't be judged.

That's why the Skid Row Running Club works.

The community impact of running

Six years ago when Judge Mitchell first started the Skid Row Running Club, he just wanted to share his love of running with others, particularly thos in at risk communities.  He had no idea the LA Times, would write an article about it.  He didn't know he would get approached about making a documentary and becoming a star in Skid Row Marathon.  That was never his intention.

At the Skid Row Running Club, we believe in the saying that "if you give, you will be given to."  As the story of the Skid Row Running Club has been embraced internationally, audiences have begun to appreciate the impact of small acts of kindness.

Many people have reached out to us about starting their own running programs from the US, Canada and the UK.  It's very encouraging to see members of the running community reaching out and finding a way to give back through running.  Some many basic things emanate from this simple activity.

However, individuals using running to give back is not new, in fact even before the Skid Row Running Club, there have been lots of organizations using running to help communities:  Up and Running Again, Running Works, Back on My Feet to name a few.  

Now there is a new generation of running clubs giving back to the community:  Mosaic Running Club, the Running Charity.

All these organizations are proof that small acts indeed make a big difference.  If you are a runner and want to share your passion for running to others, consider joining one of these organziations or even starting your own.

The Western Wall

or Wailing Wall is considered the holiest site where people of the Jewish people are allowed to pray.  The wall is considered holy because of its connection to the Temple Mount.

Every year millions of Jews come to the Western Wall to pray.

Although members of the Skid Row Running Club represent all faiths, visiting the Western Wall was generally considered to be the best experience we had during our trip to Israel.

That's what we do:  Every 18 months or so, we take members who have stayed sober and run with us consistently on an international trip of a lifetime.  For most of our club members, they have never been out of the country, much less on an airplane.

Getting out of your bubble has a magical way of dispelling any stereotypes or notions you have about other counties or other cultures.  You realize that the world doesn't revolve around you and you have a responsibility as a member of the international community.  

We use running to change lives and international trips to expand them.