Fifteen years ago on a Tuesday, when now 30-year-old Katie Gregory was in high school, she was going around her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family when they noticed a man feeding a group of homeless people. Her mom went up to the man, Arthur Hatton, and asked how they could help.
“He said, ‘Get out of your car. Come serve,’” Gregory told Runner’s World. “It was very grassroots and rogue. We’re not in a shelter—we’re literally on the streets.”
After helping their new, formerly homeless, friend pour drinks and serve food to their community, Gregory and her family became hooked on giving back. She hasn’t missed many Tuesdays with Arthur since.
The more she served the people in her own backyard, Gregory grew a greater understanding of them. She let go her prior assumptions about many of these men and women and instead began to see people who had a lot more in common with her than she thought.
“A lot of them really have the same background you and I do,” Gregory said. “They may have just had a spell of bad luck and maybe not the support system I have to get me back on my feet. Some of them are living paycheck to paycheck and value the little things we take for granted, like a pair of socks or gently-used pair of shoes.”
This is where Gregory’s love of running and giving back intersected perfectly.
College Club Merges Running and Chess New York City Marathon and other races over the years, Gregory had experienced the tradition of wearing outer layers and stripping them off midrace. Usually, race organizers donate these clothes to charities and homeless shelters. Knowing that, Gregory wanted to expand the work she and others did every Tuesday to a larger scale to spread awareness.
Guide to Mental Health Florida Mom Runs 5:11 Mile While Pushing Stroller and Running Works to create Master the Half, Jimmy CORE Foundation requirement is that runners wear outer layers and strip them off midrace. The inaugural race took place on January 5, with 475 registered runners and 60 to 90 bags of clothing collected.
[Published: Jan 05, 2019 7:26 PM EST? The Big Book of Running for Beginners will take you through everything you need to know to get started, step by step]
After the race, the clothes are washed, dried, and distributed to various homeless shelters and programs in Charlotte. Gregory expects that by February, the people she and Arthur serve on Tuesdays will be wearing the clothes gathered by the runners.
With the holidays being over, Gregory hopes people will extend their giving spirits to their homeless communities throughout the whole year, even through simply donating a jacket when they are done with it or by giving an extra pair of socks after shopping at a running store.
As for Arthur, he decided not to participate in the race today. Why? Well, he’s a little busy.
“He said, ‘I can’t wait to hear how it goes, but I’ll be serving,’” Gregory said. “It’s just an expected answer and testimony to who he is as a person and his servanthood.”
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McGee’s work for both Runner’s World and Bicycling McGees work for both Runner’s World in 2017, McGee has somehow convinced the team to let her keep writing for them as a freelancer. Her favorite stories to tell are ones of “ordinary” people doing extraordinary things through running and cycling, whether accomplishing personal goals, overcoming severe trials, or transforming their communities. Her writing has also appeared on ACTIVE and Paste Magazine. When she’s not running or eating, you can probably find her still eating.
