Running is my therapy

JERRY FRANCOIS, FOUNDER OF NYC’S GOLDFINGER TRACK CLUB, IS USING RUNNING AS A FORM OF THERAPY, ACTIVISM, AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING

By Edward Schmit

GoldFinger Track Club (GFTC) begins to gather on a high school track in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. For a rainy Wednesday morning at 6:30am, it's an impressive turnout of about 30 people. The club's founder, Jerry Francois arrives and does his own solo lap around the track, pushing his 1-year-old son in his stroller. The club will do many laps around the track this morning, but this first one is just for Jerry.

"Running is my therapy," Jerry says. It seems like it is for everyone at GFTC.

GoldFinger Track Club / Photo by Edward Schmit

The next night, the same group meets for their weekly community run. Everyone is welcome at GFTC. From beginners to marathon runners, Jerry sets the pace to include everyone. And he also sets a special tone. Each community run has a theme – last summer, many of them were solidarity runs for Black Lives Matter. “We had these intimate group settings, where we come together — Black, Brown, white, Asian. We really were just able to have a conversation and then enjoy running together.”

Last week, GFTC helped us kick off Run IDONTMIND with a Mental Health Month-themed community run. Everyone circled up before the run to check in on each other. How’s your job going? How are you feeling? How’s your mental health? How’s your family?

The GFTC community is family. Jerry built a club that anyone can join – and when people open up and share how they’re really feeling, everyone listens. “We created a safe space where everybody feels comfortable to talk about things.”

GoldFinger Track Club circles up before their weekly community run / Photo by Edward Schmit

Edward Schmit, co-founder of IDONTMIND, sat down with Jerry to chat about GoldFinger Track Club and how he’s using running both as a form of therapy and activism.

IDONTMIND (IDM): Jerry, how's your mental health today?

Jerry Francois (JF): For a long time, I haven't been at a higher number than five. I do this mental health check-in. l check where my mental health's at on a scale from one to ten – ten being the highest. And I'm at a good place right now. A higher number than I've been at lately. I've had a lot of anxiety about everything that I need to get done for a couple events that I'm planning. After this next weekend, I can focus more on running instead, which I'm super excited for. And then I can find it relaxing again.

GoldFinger Track Club / Photo by Gavin Wynn

IDM: For people who might not know, can you explain what a running club or a track club is in the traditional sense?

JF: So it's just a group of people coming together to do a workout. You don't always have to be on the track, but we do meet on the track on Wednesdays and then we hit the road on Thursdays. But Essentially it's just a club – like if you were in a track team in high school or college, but we're all adults now. We all have jobs and families. Anybody's always welcome to just come for a day. We’re here for everybody. Even if you just see us on a run you can start running with us. It's pretty much bringing people together and getting runs in. But we're also spreading awareness to the things that are happening in life. Whether it be racism and social injustice, and just trying to help our community through running.

IDM: Tell me about why you started GoldFinger Track Club.

JF: I started GoldFinger Track Club in 2016, it was pretty random. I was trying to bring back all my old buddies from college and there was this race that was a ten men relay. I ran that race with a mix of old friends and new friends. We placed first in our respective heat, and we had this massive buzz out of nowhere on social media. It's like, 'They're lit, they're fast' and all of this other stuff. I was like, we literally just made this up a day ago.

One of my friends was in a different running crew at the time, and they sent him a message being like, 'If you're running with other crews, we have to terminate you out of the running club.' And I realized that people go so hard for this stuff. I really didn't know it was that serious. And then I felt bad and I was like, 'You know what? GoldFinger has to be a real thing, but I don't care who you run with. I don't care if you don't wear the logo when you're racing or running.’

I would tell people that GoldFinger Track Club is going to be a home, and it's a home for all. If you need a crew or a club, come run with us. We're more than just a running club. We'll have your back, regardless of what you do in life, so that's how it came to be. Now we're that beautiful, happy family that you see all over social media.

“When I got back into running, it literally saved me. I was in higher spirits. And I remember thinking that this is where I need to be for the rest of my life. That’s why I started to say that running is my therapy. And no matter what in life, I can never check out of it. Whether I actually do the run, or I create a race, any involvement in running is the free form of therapy for me.”

IDM: You're building a community where you can really lean on each other. How has that positively impacted your mental health and the mental health of everyone in GoldFinger?

JF: Our community run is probably the most special run for all of us. I think that became everyone's favorite day. With a lot of runs and crews and everything that's happened in the last year and a half, there's no talking. When you go to run, you can have a little chatter, but you never know when you can really break the ice. So I do a lot of icebreakers where I have everyone share. Everyone is an open book. They share everything that they've been going through. We created a safe space where everybody feels comfortable to talk about things. For example, yesterday we talked about where we were last year at this time, since it was still the beginning of COVID. And a lot of people shared about being in dark spaces and how they prevailed and got out of that. A lot of them mentioned it was the community runs that helped.

We did these solidarity runs for Black Lives Matter. We had these intimate group settings where we come together — Black, Brown, white, Asian. We really were just able to have a conversation and then enjoy running together. And that actually helped my mental health too. I had a lot of uncertainties this time last year, you know. Job security, bringing a kid into this world, finding a new apartment. So setting up these solidarity runs for the community helped me a lot. I knew no matter what, every time I opened my window, every Thursday evening, I'd see anywhere from one runner to thirty runners waiting for me to come outside. The community really relies on me, and I rely on them. That means more than anything to me. It's the most amazing feeling in the world. And I love the fact that it's a two-way street now. They help me with my mental health and I help them with their mental health.

IDM: That sounds so positive on both sides. I love that you said it's a two-way street. You feel the responsibility to keep this club going because you know that people's mental health sort of depends on it, and it also helps your own mental health. Going back to these solidarity runs, you started the hashtag Black Miles Matter. Can you tell me about that and how do you channel running as a form of social justice and activism?

JF: You know, that was one of the trickiest things. I kind of didn't even have a plan. I was just fed up and upset about what was going on and what was being seen or unseen. I would go to a lot of protests and as much as I love to be a part of it, I'm a runner. I'd rather run, but still bring awareness and speak about systemic racism. We wanted to bring it to the running community because we realized a lot of people were not aware of the things that Black and Brown people were going through or maybe were afraid to speak on it. So many people don't even know what was happening, you know? The constant harassment that we get, the police brutality and more.

Then after the death of Ahmaud Arbery, I was like – my life truly does matter, but more importantly, every mile that any Black person takes really matters. It's important to understand that the miles that we take — whether it's walking, jogging, running — it truly matters. And I needed to express that to the running community and help them understand that when they see me in these runs, and any other body that is Black or Brown, to understand the importance of us being here and every mile that we take. After I ended up having a run where 500 plus people showed up, I said, 'I have a gift and I have to continue to keep exploring it and really figure out more and more how to educate and enlighten the people around me.' And running is the tool to create the change that we're looking for.

IDM: That makes a lot of sense. There are many different ways to protest and to create change, and it's unique to each person. I think that the magic happens when you lean into your strengths, into your passions. And it seems like that's exactly what you've done here. You've said before that running is your form of free therapy. Can you expand on that a little bit more and tell me when you discovered that running was great for your mental health?

JF: Yeah, when my mom passed away in high school I was lost for a moment, but I literally had to bounce right back up. I just saw that the world didn't care about me losing my mother at all. I was depressed and angry and going through so much and I didn't know how to channel it. I needed to find something to help me deal with these emotions. And sure enough, I found track. For the first time in my life, I didn't think about anything that I was going through. It felt refreshing, just sprinting around the hallways and getting a taste of the outdoors. For the first time I felt so relaxed and so at peace. Every time I would cross one of my laps, I would look at all of the signs and envision my mom there.

Then from there, I went to college and still found that running was where I was at my happiest. After college, I kind of lost running and it put my mental health in a bad place. When I went to a therapist, she asked me when I was at my happiest. I told her it was when I was running, and she encouraged me to find a place to run.

When I got back into running, it literally saved me. I was in higher spirits. And I remember thinking that this is where I need to be for the rest of my life. That’s why I started to say that running is my therapy. And no matter what in life, I can never check out of it. Whether I actually do the run, or I create a race, any involvement in running is the free form of therapy for me.

IDM: That's really interesting. And it's great that you were able to identify that. Thank you for sharing that. I'm glad you found something that worked for you. As we know, fitness and mental health are extremely connected. And it's ironic that quieting your mind actually involves speeding up your body. I think that's really cool. On a different note, congratulations on becoming a new dad! What do you plan on teaching your son about mental health?

JF: That's a good question. That's going to be an interesting conversation. There's a lot to go over and I think there's always been a conversation about mental health to anybody who's Black or Brown. I think now it's about bringing it up a lot sooner to kids than later. I'll let him know how to control his emotions and how to express his emotions and why it's okay. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to not have a good day. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be expressive, whether you're male or female, about anything that you're going through. And just be as open as possible. I also think just letting him know that he can always come to mom and dad and we'll never judge him. And then if he needs more professional help, we'll get him that professional help. And I want to always remind him that it doesn't make you less of a man, if you have emotions — that's part of life.

IDM: You know, one of the easiest things that people can do for their loved ones – whether it's a kid or a friend – is make sure they know that you are open to them coming to you and leaning on you when they need to. You may not have all the answers, and that’s perfectly okay, but you're there to listen. I want to circle back to one thing. Do you have any self-care tips for someone trying to find something that works for them like running does for you?

JF: Yeah, I think it's important to find the things that make you happy. I think it's really important to have a day to yourself and do things that make you truly happy. And to know what your happiness looks like before you share it with someone else. So no matter what you go through — some breakup or any issues with your family — you know, what can bring you back to a little bit of peace of mind. And I think that took a long time for me to discover. You know, self care is important.

Being a new dad and everything that's been happening in the media in the last year and a half, it feels like there's something happening every day and a black daughter or son's life is being taken away. That's when I need that time to myself. That's why a lot of times when I come home, I go to the other room to decompress before I come in to interact with my family. Because I know that if I come straight in to talk to them, I'm coming with all of the anger and emotion that I don't want to take out on them. Sometimes I need that moment to myself to just take a deep breath, relax, and then realize that things are going to get better. I think it's important for us all to understand that and take time away and explain it to whoever is important in our lives that we need those moments for ourselves.

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Keep up with Jerry and GoldFinger Track Club on their Instagram @gftcnyc. And you have the entire month of May to join us for Run IDONTMIND. Let’s sweat it out for better mental health.