District Running Collective’s “District 19” Is Part Protest Part Celebration
They run in packs and glide along Washington, D.C. streets twice a week. Some come for camaraderie, a connection to others, or a sense of fulfillment; Others, show up to stay healthy, lose weight, or train for an upcoming marathon. They are the District Running Collective — and they run D.C.
The group is hosting their second annual “District 19” race at Kenilworth National Park on Sunday, Oct. 17. And this year, they’ve added a 5k to welcome newer participants, while seasoned runners can choose from a 19k or 19 miler. After the event, runners and their families are invited to stick around for a post-race party. There will be food trucks, a daiquiri vendor, and a DJ. The theme is giving people their flowers, while they can still smell them.
Matt Green, the co-founder of the eight-year-old organization says that D.R.C. wanted to make sure the 2021 race is more celebratory. “COVID is still a thing but it's not as crazy as it was last year,” Green says. “So, we have a little more freedom to try to bring people together. This year, we wanted to spin it and not be so dark when it comes to the Black experience. The [2020] race was a moment in time and it was a way for us to protest but now we want to celebrate people that are still here: advocates and activists, athletes, politicians, community leaders…”
“What we have learned from [2020] is that life is short and every single moment is precious. As the world still faces the reality of an ongoing pandemic, we turn to those moments of joy, resilience, achievement, and excellence that are happening along the way. Each bead of sweat and mile logged tells a story and this year we want to use our miles to amplify the unsung heroes and champions of our time,” the event page reads. “Together, let’s celebrate life and give flowers of every shade, shape, and color to those who impact and inspire us in the present moment while paving the way for the future.”
Last year, when COVID-19 nixed just about every in-person race across the country, D.R.C. organized the “District 19” to help local runners cope with the cancellation of the fall race season. The number 19 was symbolically chosen for the race to continue to pay homage to those that lost their lives and to represent the perspective gained in 2020.
“Around the time that Ahmaud Arbery got killed when he was out for a run in Georgia and then George Floyd and the countless people that were getting murdered because of police brutality and racism, we started to see people standing up for things,” Green recalls. “That was one of the other reasons — Typically, we would try to be a voice for people or an outlet for people to have those conversations in person but because we couldn't, we had to figure out ways we could speak on that. We had a lot of people, who were members, that went down to the protests [in D.C.]. People were running for Ahmaud and doing stuff on social [media] is cool but, for us, the community is our space where we really try to send a message.”
“We wanted to use ‘District 19’ as a way to protest through our D.R.C. lens and we created the race with pillars — ending systematic racism and putting a stop to police brutality — that spoke to the awareness of the issues that were important to us,” Green adds.
The idea for D.R.C. spawned from Green’s creative 26th birthday party idea. Along with the other co-founders of the company, Carlin Myrick, Taylor Blake, and Chaz Dawson, Green organized a 5k run for fun at midnight. “It was just something that I wanted to do differently for my birthday,” Green recalls. “I had just gotten into running. One of the founders was already into running and we saw some dope [running] stuff going on and we wanted to bring it to D.C. Normally, I bring people together for my birthday and have a big cookout and do different things like that. Instead of just going to the club and getting a table and buying bottles, which is fine, we decided to use my birthday as a platform.”
Nearly 100 people joined Green and his college friends on that first 5k run. A year later, they started meeting up at a cafe in Columbia Heights and running weekly. “That's when we started to feel like this is a little bit different,” Green says. “When we added that consistency to it, versus just hosting events, it changed the whole aspect of how we thought of D.R.C. We went from wanting to do races in a different way, that we haven't seen from our lens, to this is a community and it's about an entry way for people to get into running and it's been that way since.”
Since 2014, D.R.C.’s membership has grown to 100s of people. Green believes thousands have participated in at least one run with the organization. Yet he never imagined D.R.C. becoming what it has. With the help of his captains — Ashlee Lawson Green, Corey Redden, and others — who continue to lead the troop’s treks throughout The District, the running collective hopes to keep blazing trails and making an impact step-by-step.
Written By: Christopher Harris