How an ex-football player is tackling health issues — and inspiring hope — on the West Side through running
'Seeing people hit their ultimate goals are the benefits of what running can provide,' Peace Runners 773 Executive Director Jackie Hoffman said. 'It's not about how fast you can (run), as long as we can get through that finish line. That's the thing we care about as an organization, and I think that's powerful.'
Peace Runners 773 is a nonprofit running club located on the West Side that offers free runs and workouts for anyone interested. Whether you are a trained runner, looking for a late-summer body transformation or want to meet like-minded people, the group can provide all of the above. The club's goal is to 'tackle real community issues such as obesity, low life expectancy and mental health.'
Hoffman, 35, always has been active. After growing up on the West Side and playing football and basketball at Curie, he played on the offensive line at College of DuPage and Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla., later receiving a tryout with the Chicago Bears. He said his football career helped show him what Chicago can be.
'That was the experience and exposure space for me to go see life and go to see every other place,' Hoffman said. '(When I came) back home, I'm like, dang, this community that I grew up in is not the place that everybody wants to be.'
Hoffman said his reason for founding Peace Runners comes back to his mother. During the pandemic, she was on the phone with a doctor who informed his mother, 62 at the time, that the average life expectancy on the West Side was only 66 and the number varies with area codes. His mother dealt with high blood pressure, prediabetes and obesity, Hoffman said.
'That's the moment where it hit me,' he said. 'To me (my mom) is Superwoman. For the first time, (I saw) that she had a weakness, (that) this is a bad thing.'
Hoffman challenged his mom to walk a mile a day. His push turned into 60 lost pounds, a decrease in medication and increased time between doctor visits. After that, Hoffman wondered what he could do for others on the West Side.
'Everybody (thinks) that gun violence is how people pass away in these intersecting communities, but it's this secret killer (of bad health) that is taking us away,' Hoffman said. 'We normalize somebody that's 60 years old dying. On the behalf of my mom, no, that's not happening.'
From there, Peace Runners was born.
The Peace Runners symbol is a peace sign with wings and the 773 area code on both sides. It represents the group's goals: violence prevention and mental health security.
'The biggest thing is when people see (a group of) Black or brown people, (I wonder) what the first image of that (is),' Hoffman said. 'When people see us and see those wings, they know it's the Peace Runners.'
Participants have covered more than 50,000 miles all over the globe. Hoffman and other Peace Runners have hit the streets in cities such as Tokyo, Sydney and Boston.
'If I go to Sydney or Tokyo and run 26.2 miles with 'Peace Runners' on my chest, everybody understands the mission of why I'm running this race,' Hoffman said. 'I'm shedding light on the disinvestment in our community. It's something we don't deserve. It's time for changes to happen so we can push forward and grow as a community.'
The club wants members to experience a family-like feeling. Peace Runners is centered in Garfield Park, which the club calls an 'inspiring backdrop for individual transformation.' One way the group checks in with members is with the #BigSteppaWednesday hashtag, whereby runners post themselves running or exercising along with their progress on social media.
'Love for us isn't something that you have to earn,' Hoffman said. 'Love is (where) we go meet you where you're at and greet you with love. We understand that on a daily basis, people aren't meeting you with that.'
Members feel the love from the Peace Runners leaders.
'I was sick a little bit in the hospital and called (Hoffman) to come to the hospital to see me and (they) only have family members coming in,' track coach Brendan Gilbert, 36, said. 'We show up to not only this, we come to people's work events, we go to birthday parties and we meet each other's families, so it's nice.'
Added member Sarah Lyons, 36: 'I always thought I was a solo runner, (but) it's so much better to run with people who (are) on the same page and have the same goals, and Peace Runners does a great job of bringing everyone.'
Those with minimal running experience should feel welcome in Peace Runners' Couch to 5K program, which helps transform non-runners into 3-mile form. Running a 5K can appear daunting but is easier than it sounds.
'It's basically getting the person who has not run in their entire life the nutrition, the proper techniques and tools to get them moving,' said Nicole Midderhoff, 42, the group's community events and engagement manager. 'To be able to run your first 5K, that's big.'
On June 14, the Peace Runners held their Juneteenth Wellness 5K run on the West Side. More than 520 people showed up. Hoffman shared what it means to him for people of color to come together in a run.
'After learning about Juneteenth, (we said) let's do something positive in the community,' Hoffman said. 'It was only 20 people (the first time), but to go from 20 to 520 is insane.
'In broader conversations about community, people have to see people that look like them in the space and see positive things for others to be positive. When you see 500 people running (together), it changes the mind and inspires and provides a feeling of hope.'
If there is a Peace Runners sighting, the group asks spectators to throw up a peace sign. 'Or better yet, JOIN US!' as their website states.
'The Peace Runners is the best place in the world, not just Chicago,' Hoffman said. 'To be inspired and loved, that's what we're about, so tell them to pull up to Peace Runners.'
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