By Charlie Engle
One of my favorite things to do in any city is to go for a run. I don’t mean that I look for a trail system or a neighborhood on the edge of town. I mean that I run IN the city, between the tall buildings, dodging cars and people, absorbing the frenetic energy along the way. Usually I run alone in a strange city because I am there alone. But occasionally I will seek out a running group to join up with, as I did on a recent Tuesday in August in Charlotte, N.C. But this wasn’t a typical run and it certainly wasn’t a typical running club. This group wasn’t made up of corporate executives commuting from the suburbs and they weren’t city dwellers living in downtown condos. In fact, the runners in this club didn’t live anywhere in particular. That’s because these runners were homeless.
As homeless people, they were not really welcome on the streets of Charlotte. But as runners, they were free to go where they wanted without being subjected to the disapproving stares that make them feel like they don’t belong here or anywhere. Running for these folks represents a freedom that I hadn’t truly appreciated before. In these moments, for these miles, they were part of the city instead of apart from it. They were powerful and confident.
I’m not referring to physical power but rather the emotional and spiritual power that comes from sweating out a few good miles. For most of us, running is the icing on the cake of our daily existence. We live, we work, we raise our children, and we find time to run and exercise because we know that it makes our lives richer. It’s like an add-on or an accessory. Running makes all the other parts of our lives better. But what if running was the only thing you could count on in your life? What if you didn’t have a job or a family or a car or a place to live? If your days were filled with nothing to do and nowhere to go, would you still run? Seriously – would you? Well, if you were part of the RunningWorks team, you would!
That’s where Meredith Dolhare and Kelly Fillnow come in. In early 2012, they joined forces to form RunningWorks, an unlikely first-of-its-kind nonprofit in Charlotte, N.C. The reason for this collaboration is highly complex and super simple at the same time. The simple version is that these two dynamic women have a passion for running and they want to share it with people who would not otherwise get to experience its benefits. The deeper purpose behind RunningWorks is to empower those who feel powerless and to encourage them to discover the benefits of teamwork, discipline, and respect for themselves. In fact, Kelly and Meredith are teammates on the Timex Multisport Team so they understand very well the power of teamwork.
RunningWorks started as a small nagging seed planted in the fertile and active mind of Meredith Dolhare. In the fall of 2008, she attended an informational meeting at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte. She heard executive director Dale Mullennix speak passionately about the “neighbors” (men and women who are welcomed to the center daily). Meredith was an already accomplished athlete who regularly volunteered her time to various nonprofits and often wrote checks to charitable groups. But something about this place was different. Dale wasn’t giving the typical plea-for-money pitch. Instead, he was speaking bluntly about the challenges of helping the homeless. He talked about gardens and clean clothes as he delivered his message in the village-like setting at the center. He explained, in human language rather than clinical terms, that many of the neighbors need mental health and medical services. His passion and enthusiasm impacted Meredith immediately. Like a kid in class bursting at the seams to get the teacher’s attention, Meredith blurted out, “Have you ever thought about starting a running program with the neighbors?” Dale said, “Running? No, we don’t have a running program. But we will never say no to anything that a volunteer wants to spend his or her time doing here at the center. We welcome you.” In that moment, Meredith made the decision to create a running program for the homeless. It would take a few years and the addition of Kelly Fillnow to the mix to make it happen but today this unlikely organization is running strong.
I have known Meredith for many years and she is very possibly the busiest person on the planet. When she invited me to Charlotte to spend a day with her “new running group,” I assumed that it would be another day of me trying to keep up with her fast pace and speedy friends. Then she explained the real purpose for the invitation. She told me how RunningWorks works. “Kelly and I are putting on a race called the Monster Dash on Oct. 28 and our goal is to raise money to assist Charlotte’s homeless in finding jobs and homes.” I asked Meredith why she thought the race was important. “We wanted to help the homeless but we didn’t want to just write another check. We wanted to give them the gift of running because running leads to so many other positive things. But make no mistake about it, the ultimate goal of RunningWorks is to give the neighbors the confidence they need to create the life they want to live. Most people mistakenly believe that the homeless don’t want to work and that they just want a handout. Nothing could be further from the truth. They want jobs and stability just like everyone else. And they are willing to work hard for it. They just need an opportunity and that’s what Kelly and I try to give them.”
Kelly Fillnow is a professional triathlete who doesn’t have a free minute that isn’t filled with training or racing. Yet she clearly knows the value of helping others, so she makes time where none exists. Both Kelly and Meredith understand the premise that if one hopes to keep their gifts, they must also give them away. In other words, helping others is helping oneself.
I had to see this for myself. I showed up at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte on a Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. I brought my two teenage sons with me because I thought the day had the potential to be an eye-opening shared experience for us. I parked at the center and as we emerged from our car, the whole scene felt chaotic. My son Kevin asked, “Are all of these people homeless?” I told him that I had no idea. It was hard to tell. There were lines going in several different directions. People were yelling; some looked haggard while others could have been on their way to a board meeting. There were hundreds of folks milling about and we didn’t know where to go. Then I spotted a group of people on the sidewalk and they were all dressed in blue T-shirts bearing the RunningWorks logo. They stood out, but not only because of the shirts. They just looked different than everyone else. Maybe it was their body language or their big smiles. Whatever it was, it created a palpable energy circulating through this group. I immediately identified it as the same energy I feel before a race. It’s edgy and hyper and unfocused. It’s the pure anticipation of what’s about to happen.
The first person I found was Chris, a former Marine who was keeping things in order on the sidewalk. Meredith had told me to look for Chris and he was easy to find. His warmth and enthusiasm were overflowing. Just watching Chris made me smile. Once I introduced myself and my boys, Chris took it upon himself to make us feel at ease. He introduced me around to the other runners and a few of the volunteers. Chris is homeless but he likes to keep things orderly.
Chris took me over to meet Chuck, calling him the “speedster” of the group. Chuck did look fast and he was itching to run. I asked Chuck why he was so excited to get going. “When I run, I feel free of all this.” He swept his arm around the area so I would know what “all this” meant. Chuck became homeless several years ago. Nobody expects to be homeless, but when things went wrong in Chuck’s life, he didn’t have a safety net or a family he could turn to. When I asked Chuck how he ended up in this situation, he looked at me and shrugged. “I tried to figure that out myself for a long time but I finally just got tired of thinking about it. It doesn’t even matter anymore how I got here. I just want things to get better.”
For Chuck, life HAS gotten better recently. He has steady work and a little money saved. I could see the excitement and feel the energy as he talked about his plans for the future. Just having a plan for the future is a new concept for Chuck. One of his goals is to run a really fast time at the Monster Dash 5k in Huntersville on Oct. 28. The event is being produced by a well-known Charlotte based nonprofit organization called Guys With Ties (www.guyswithtiescharlotte.com) and the race will benefit RunningWorks. Guys With Ties has been active in Charlotte since 2006, focusing their attention on raising funds for a variety of other nonprofits by hosting or producing events.
I walked around meeting more of the neighbors. Jackie and Benita have been best friends for 13 years. They help and support each other as much as possible but it never seems to be quite enough. They both have nearly grown children, most of whom are in college or headed that way. Their kids have been their main focus and somehow they have always managed to just barely get by, but with the current tough economic times, they find themselves scrambling and living closer to the edge than ever before. Jackie told me, “If we could just find steady work, you know, we could get back on our feet. We have skills. Benita can drive a forklift.” Benita smiled and nodded in modest agreement. Then she added, “And Jackie is an amazing cook.”
Osman and Robert are both African immigrants, refugees who have found the reality of life in America to be much harder than expected. When I spoke to Osman, there was no sense of entitlement and certainly no complaining about the hardship he faces daily. “It’s not easy here but I never asked for easy. I only ask for a chance to build a life. Everyone is struggling now but I am sure that I will make it because I will never give up.” Robert told me that he was recently hospitalized with pneumonia. He was scared and lonely at first. In a heavy accent, he explained, “Meredith, she came to see me for a visit and stayed for two days.” I asked him how that made him feel and he said, “Just knowing that someone cares can save a man’s life.”
The time for talking was over and now it was time to run. The plan was to follow a four-mile route at an easy clip. Chuck didn’t get the memo that included the word “easy.” Chuck may be homeless but I soon learned that he doesn’t need a home in order to kick my butt in a training run. His nearly 6-minute-per-mile pace was too much for me but I pretended that I needed to talk to other runners, so I dropped back. But Chuck and I both knew the truth. Chuck was fast and he loved to run.
I followed along with the group of about 25, weaving between the tall buildings that define the Queen City’s skyline. It felt a bit like a group of marauding invaders, as runners were laughing and whooping it up. It was during this early part of the run that I think I got the true taste of what RunningWorks was all about. For at least a little while, they weren’t homeless runners. They were just runners, feeling the strain and sweat of hard work, knowing that the satisfaction of completion would be theirs when the run was over.
We snaked our way around corners and whenever gaps opened up between runners on the long city blocks, they quickly closed at a red light. We were like a giant slinky winding our way through Charlotte. When we were finished with our run, I asked Chuck how he had managed to turn things around for himself. In that second, his eyes moved away from mine and focused on something behind me. He pointed and said, “That’s how.”
I turned around to see Meredith and Kelly talking to a couple of new recruits. Meredith was waving her arms and laughing while Kelly was holding out a couple of T-shirts emblazoned with the RunningWorks logo. Meredith pointed to a large bin of running shoes and said, “You also get shoes to run in.” (More than 60 pairs have been donated by TrySports in Charlotte: www.trysports.com.) It was clear they were making a pitch to a couple of unconvinced first-timers. I heard Kelly say, “Why don’t you just come out for a couple of runs and see how you like it. I think you will be surprised at what you can accomplish when you have the love and support of a group like this.” I could see the reluctance in the faces of the newcomers but they took the shirts and promised to return for the next run. Kelly turned toward Meredith and they gave each other the “we’ll see” look.
The run was finished but the lessons were still coming. As part of the RunningWorks program, Kelly and Meredith spend time after each session talking about motivation, perseverance, and determination. They teach practical ideas like organization, responsibility, and job interview skills. While these post-run roundtables teach useful information, what they really do is remind these struggling people that someone cares and that things will get better if they just keep moving forward.
Maybe the simplest lessons truly are the most meaningful. When we help one another, good things happen. Jackie just started working with a new company and has lost 15 pounds. Benita has interviewed for a great job. The two best friends are living together in temporary housing that they hope will become permanent. Chuck is working in a warehouse and loves balancing his checkbook. He likes to picture himself standing on the podium at the finish of the Monster Dash 5k. Robert and Osman both have job interviews and Robert has reconnected with his mother and brother. Chris is still organizing things at RunningWorks and hoping that he can tell his story from the pulpit someday soon. He has written a blog for the RunningWorks website.
Will running eliminate homelessness in Charlotte? Not likely. But that’s not the point. As a society, we very often lose sight of the importance of helping others. Even helping just one other person is worth it in the long run. I have seen poverty and hardship in many parts of the world so I assumed that this day would just be a local version of a worldwide problem. As it turned out, I vastly underestimated the power of talking to another human being who seemingly has no place in the world. It hit me hard and made me immediately realize that I still have much to learn. But one thing I know for sure. The next time I am running through downtown in some strange city, I will not just run past the homeless, pretending not to see them. Instead, I will ask them to join me.
Sign up to run the Monster Dash 5k at www.runningworks.org and buy your shoes for the race at www.trysports.com.
If you would like to volunteer at the race or come out for a run through the city, let Meredith and Kelly know through the RunningWorks website.
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Charlie Engle is a North Carolina native. He went to Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines and then UNC Chapel Hill. He is a father of two boys, an avid ultrarunner, cyclist, triathlete, and mountaineer. Read more by Charlie at www.charlieengle.com or contact him at engle.charlie@gmail.com.
