Detroit, MI (CBS Detroit) – For years, Joe Robinson and Lance Woods ran through the streets of Detroit. Robinson ran on the east side where he resided, and Woods had the west side. But they never ran together. They didn’t even know each other.
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Though both lifelong Detroiters, their paths never crossed. Yet both had a similar vision for their home and the African-American community: a running club.
(Credit: Paul Pytlowany/ CBS Detroit)
“We started the Run Club by coming together, Lance and I shared a similar passion,” explains Joe Robinson, Co-Founder of We Run 313. “So we came together, and we just decided to put a link out and invite a bunch of people to run, and it turned into what it turned into.”
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“I think what surprised me most,” says Lance Woods, Co-founder of We Run 313., “is just the number of people that we have, it’s kinda’ crazy when you think about it. In our largest run in Detroit, we’ve had about 200 people run with us for our 2 Mile Tuesday run. I think that’s the most surprising thing. And the next thing is just how the community has really embraced this and how fast it has taken off.”
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“It was really motivating, I’ve been wanting to get back into running for a while,” says runner Andrea Meurad. “I just didn’t know how to do it, and I thought I would give it a try. I live in the city, and I actually don’t know a lot of people who live in the city, so I thought it was also a good way to meet people.”
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“It’s a group of really strong people who motivate you whether you’re a first-time runner, or have been running all of your life,” says runner Stanley Turner. “The energy here is awesome!”
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“I believe that community leadership starts with self, explains Woods. “I mean, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you are a part of the community. So if you’re making the type of changes that you want to see, then you’ve become that change. And then you spread that among other people, and you’ll see the change that you wanna see.”
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“I would say that running with the Run Club has been good in that you have people to run with you,” states runner Neeko Little, “and that keeps you motivated to stick with it.”
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“We run every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our Run Club is nothing without the people in it.”
(Credit: Paul Pytlowany/ CBS Detroit)
Watch for “Eye on Detroit” segments weekdays during “CBS This Morning” at 7 a.m. featuring unique and positive stories from the Motor City.
(Credit: Paul Pytlowany/ CBS Detroit)
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