Gene Demby

Running is a time to be reflective. It's the closest thing I have to ritual and prayer.
-Gene Demby
Interview in Runners World.

Runners’ Stories I'm a Runner

I’m a Runner: Gene Demby

The lead blogger of NPR’s Code Switch talks running and race.

As told to Nick Weldon Tuesday, September 6, 2016, 1:22 pm

I write about race and culture. My job is to be in the know about these conversations, think about them, frame them, and moderate them in different spaces.

Suddenly there’s this appetite for conversation about race, but it’s not like race is a new issue. It’s as old as the United States. Smartphone videos have democratized it, and now stories like police violence are something we’re all forced to look at.

I started running seven years ago, when a friend invited me out. The next day she bailed on me, so I ran by myself. It was hard, but it was beautiful outside, and I was like, I want to do this all the time. This is fun.

The idea of what is a safe space in a city has changed. Crime has gone down. But growing up in South Philly, if I talked to family or friends about running, they’d say, “You’ll only catch me running if somebody is chasing me.”

There was no template for a black runner. If you don’t see people who look like you doing something, would you necessarily assume you belonged?

Now groups like Black Girls Run are pushing the idea that this is an activity everyone can do, and things are changing. But there are still barriers. A lot of my friends who are women still get harassed when they run outside.

When I lived in Park Slope, New York, I was cognizant of being the only black person everywhere I went. I definitely see more runners of color in D.C. You give the head nod, like, Hey, I see you.

My marathon PR was in 2010 at New York: 4:00:24. My goal was under four. I was so pissed. I thought I’d easily do 3:50, 3:45, but no. Marathons are hard.

I’m not the most disciplined person when it comes to running. I run every morning around 6 a.m. before doing anything else. If I say I’ll run after work and leave it to chance, then I won’t do it.

There’s a correlation between when I’m doing my best work and when I’m running the most. It helps me marinate ideas, sharpen them.

My friends know me as the dude who runs. If you’re gonna crash with me, you have to go running with me in the morning.


Demby is also the founder of the blog PostBourgie. Previously, he was the managing editor at The Huffington Post’s BlackVoices and a staffer at The New York Times. Follow him on Twitter @GeeDee215.