more awareness that way.”
By Danielle Zickl
Sep 24, 2020

run for breonna taylor
Courtesy of Gina Wickstead

UPDATE : On September 23, a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges
against Louisville police for Breonna Taylor’s death. In light of this
news, Gina Wickstead told Runner’s World on September 24 that the group
plans to continue running to spread awareness that “No-Knock Warrants”
need to be banned nationally. Their long-term goal is to turn Run for
Breonna into a non-profit and plan to be in communication with the
family to align this mission with their wishes.
__________________________________________________________________

Say her name. Now, say it again.

That’s been the message at each Run for Breonna run in San Diego,
led by Gina Wickstead and Nicol Hodges, in the wake of the widespread
protests against systemic racism and police brutality in America.

Taylor, 26, was shot and killed while she was sleeping on March 13 by
two Louisville Metro Police Department officers who forcefully entered
her apartment in Kentucky. According to a lawsuit filed by her
family, her killing was the result of an incorrect search warrant for
drugs—no drugs were found at Taylor’s apartment, and the person that
the warrant for had already detained when the officers entered Taylor’s
home.

As of August 7, the officers who killed Taylor have yet to be arrested
or charged with a crime. That means the Run for Breonna Taylor movement
will host runs a few times a week until this happens.

Wickstead, a 41-year-old teacher in San Diego who started running last
summer with a Couch-to-5K program, had the idea to dedicate her runs to
seeking justice for Taylor’s death after the Minneapolis police
officers who killed George Floyd had been arrested, but those who
killed Taylor still hadn’t been.

“I kept missing protests in our city , so I thought, ‘I can
start a run two to three days a week, and if people join, they join,’”
Wickstead told Runner’s World. “Protests are only one day, but running
as a form of protest is a moving advertisement. You can create more
awareness that way.”

with this 360-degree training
program.]

On June 11, Wickstead took to the streets of downtown San Diego for the
first time with a couple of her former students and fellow teachers,
wearing bibs that read “#RunForBreonna Justice for Breonna Taylor.”

Hodges, a 49-year-old creative director in San Diego who has been
running for more than 35 years, had also been following Taylor’s story
since the beginning.
Related Story
Take a Stand for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery

“I couldn’t sleep one night—it was June 29—so I got up in the middle of
the night and made a bib,” Hodges told Runner’s World. “I’m a big
runner—I know a lot of people in the running community—and I thought,
‘I have to do something.’ We’re in the middle of a pandemic, you should
come out of it a better person. I run every day, and I wanted to run
for a reason and a purpose. So I contacted as many people as I could,
and I was told to connect with Gina.”

On July 1, Hodges dedicated her run in Encinitas, a suburb of San
Diego, to Taylor, and wore a homemade bib that read “Run 4 Breonna
Taylor 03.13.20.”

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same content in another format, or you may be able to find more
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View this post on Instagram

*The registration link is in our bio.* In addition to our daily
runs in Downtown San Diego and Encinitas, Run for Breonna is expanding
locations for every Saturday in August! During the month of August we
are hoping more people run for Breonna Taylor throughout San Diego and
the rest of the U.S. Running is another way to protest and spread
awareness. We want everyone to be reminded of action steps they should
take to help get justice for Breonna Taylor.See you out there on August
1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th at 8am. Donations for the official
Breonna Taylor Go Fund Me are optional and bibs are provided. Also,
virtual participation is great too! Link in bio for running or riding
bib. Also, we have San Diego and Philly on board. If you want to lead
one in your city (or another location in SD), send us a DM!
#justiceforbreonna #justiceforbreonnataylor #run #runrunsd

A post shared by Nicol Hodges & Gina Wickstead (@runforbreonna) on
Jul 28, 2020 at 5:50pm PDT

While Wickstead and Hodges lead runs in downtown San Diego and
Encinitas multiple days a week—anywhere between 10 and 35 people a day
gather for the runs—they’ve partnered with other San Diego suburbs
(Hillcrest and Cardiff) as well as cities all over the country to do
the same. Every Saturday at 8 a.m. in August, residents of the San
Diego area, Baltimore, New York City, Seattle, Dallas, and Philadelphia
will gather to run or walk a 5K to spread awareness and seek justice
for Taylor.

Each group run starts with a circle where they have a moment of silence
for Taylor and go over the details of the run.

“We tell to say ‘hi’ and ‘good morning’ to people in the
streets to force them to look at their bibs and remember Breonna,”
Wickstead said. “Some of the walkers have had more negative
interactions, but they’ve taken a positive stand.”

“Running as a form of protest is a moving advertisement.”

Those who don’t live in the above-mentioned cities can print Run
for Breonna bibs and run in their own neighborhoods. Regardless of
location, each runner must register through Eventbrite and select a
date. Upon doing so, it’s suggested that runners make a donation of $10
to Justice for Breonna Taylor, which has raised $6,544,060 so far.

“Over the years, people always ask me why I run. It makes me feel good,
it makes me feel sane,” Hodges said. “As far as Breonna, when people
see commitment and how much you care, it changes the perspective of why
you’re doing it. You can show passion through running.”
This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the
same content in another format, or you may be able to find more
information, at their web site.

View this post on Instagram

*The registration link is in our bio.* See you all out there
tomorrow and remember, walking is fine too! In addition to our daily
runs in Downtown San Diego and Encinitas, Run for Breonna is expanding
locations for every Saturday in August! During the month of August we
are hoping more people run for Breonna Taylor throughout San Diego and
the rest of the U.S. Running is another way to protest and spread
awareness. We want everyone to be reminded of action steps they should
take to help get justice for Breonna Taylor.See you out there on August
1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th at 8am. Donations for the official
Breonna Taylor Go Fund Me are optional and bibs are provided. Also,
virtual participation is great too! Link in bio for running or riding
bib. If you want to lead one in your city (or another location in SD),
send us a DM! #justiceforbreonna #justiceforbreonnataylor #run
#runrunsd

A post shared by Nicol Hodges & Gina Wickstead (@runforbreonna) on
Jul 31, 2020 at 7:06am PDT

Wickstead and Hodges have received positive responses from people about
Run for Breonna; Hodges said that it’s a learning experience for many
people, and that people are getting the word out about the group.

“African American women are one of the groups that just doesn’t get
justice,” Hodges said. “This is just something that is part of the
system—we are the bottom of the barrel. But if you can lift this
particular race up, everyone else can be lifted up. That’s what we are
looking for. If Breonna Taylor can get justice, then the next person
can get justice.”

Running is very symbolic, Hodges went on to explain.

Related Story
BIPOC Runners Speak Out About Running and Race

“When you’re running every day, you have aches and pains. And that
defines what racism is,” she said. “I live with racism every day,
whether it’s microaggressions or blatant, and those things hurt just
like those aches and pains you get from running.”
run for breonna
Courtesy of Gina Wickstead

Both Wickstead and Hodges plan on continuing to spread awareness about
police brutality in the future—even if Taylor’s killers are arrested
and charged.

“Depending on the cause, it could turn into a daily run for someone
else—for me, it would be a black woman—or a justice running club where
we pick a cause to run for for a certain amount of time,” Wickstead
said.

But right now, Wickstead and Hodges are focused on building a community
of activists specifically for Taylor.

“We’re here for Breonna Taylor,” Wickstead said. “She deserves for her
name to be the only name out there, not tagged along with a group of
others , which has happened to a lot of African
American women,” Wickstead said.
__________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in participating in a run for Breonna Taylor or
leading a run in your own city, head over to the Run for Breonna
Instagram page for more information. You can also find a list of
resources Wickstead and Hodges have put together—such as petitions to
sign, numbers to call, and fundraisers to donate to—to help seek
justice for Taylor.
Danielle Zickl Associate Health & Fitness Editor Danielle
specializes in interpreting and reporting the latest health research
and also writes and edits in-depth service pieces about fitness,
training, and nutrition.
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