In 1998, the groundbreaking artist Gordon Parks brought 177 rappers and hip hop artists, some of them rivals, together for his photograph, A Great Day in Hip Hop. When it was included in an exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum, Adrian Octavius Walker was chosen to continue Parks’ story by photographing a gathering of 116 members of the St. Louis music scene. His photo, A Great Day in Saint Louis, highlights the way in which art can bring people together, something that Adrian loves about running.
That wasn’t the only honor he received last year; he was also selected to be one of three Bank of America Chicago Distance Series Ambassadors.
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Adrian didn’t start running with aspirations of being recognized for it; he didn’t even really plan on becoming a runner at all. During the COVID quarantine, he and one of his friends started doing HIIT workouts together in a local park. “We kept that going and then we created Valiant Global, which we were just doing these workouts online and we were accumulating a community of people from around the freaking world on Instagram, on the internet, local and some folks that was out of the country. It was kind of wild.”
The intensity of the workouts eventually took a toll. “I tweaked my shoulder and I just kept working out,” Adrian admits. “And that’s what really got me into running because I messed up my shoulders so bad, and being hard headed, just kept doing it. And then I was like, ‘I gotta move,’ and I got into running. But I kept doing it wrong. And over time I was like, ‘I want to really focus on this the right way and learn it,’ just like with photography or anything else.”
He got to be friends with other runners, and learned from them. “I ask so many questions to the point that sometimes I feel like I can be annoying, you know what I’m saying? Because I’m not going to act like I know everything. I actually really pride myself on that. If I don’t know something, I just don’t know it. I’m not going to be embarrassed that I don’t know it. I got to ask the question; it’s fine. Just because a thousand people know about it, I would be a thousand and one. I’ll say, ‘I do not know what the hell you’re talking about,’ and be proud for that. It’s okay. I wouldn’t be embarrassed, and I think that’s what I would say I pride myself for. I want to always be a student.”
He’s such a good student – and runner – that he completed his first marathon in 3:39. “I wasn’t trying to get fast,” he says. “It just kinda happened.” Now he is trying to get faster, but more importantly, he wants to be healthy. “I really want to master not getting injured. It’s recovery and listening to my body. My primary focus is always listening to my body because in the past, I was just like, ‘Man, my knee hurts; I’m gonna go run again.’ And then, ‘Damn, my foot hurts; I’m gonna go run again.’ Literally not listening because I’m like, ‘I don’t wanna miss a mark’.
“But now I’m like, I’m not missing a mark if I’m taking care of myself. Looking at life, it’s all about seasons. This is a season of running. Maybe in coming years, ideally I still wanna run, but I may not be competing. But right now I am in a place where I wanna chase majors, ‘cause it’s fresh and I want it to happen, but I’m gonna do it in a way that’s safe.”
This year he’s racing all three races in the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series, but he’s not sure if he’ll race the marathon next year. “You know what I’m looking forward to next year? Cheering. I’m looking forward to being on that side. Just to cheer and be on that side. So I’m gonna run a lot next year, but I don’t think I’m gonna do the Chicago Marathon again next year. And even if I do do it, I may not race and just do it, just for vibes or fun.”
The vibe around running and the sense of community is what really makes the sport special to him. “It’s just a whole different structure and focus on people’s lives for the better. Like Peace Runners; Jackie [Hoffman] is such a beautiful person. It’s camaraderie, you know what I’m saying? It’s knowing people that’s into running, and just been doing it. And the way they have been doing it. Kayla [Jeter], Jason [Suarez], Ricky [Hughes], Ian [Gonzalez]… All these different people really investing their time and energy into this and just getting it done. It’s amazing.
“And to see all of these different type of bodies and people out here doing the same f***ing thing, running 26 miles, no matter what speed, what time, one leg, two legs, no eyes, all that, everybody is going the same f***ing direction to the end. And that, to me, is one of the most special things about all of this shit.”
Resources:
Jackie Hoffman on Running for Real
Kayla Jeter on Running for Real
Jason Suarez on Running for Real
Ricky Hughes on Running for Real
