The world is a living stage

Every runner has their own unique mindset. In collaboration with Brooks Runners world highlights how running influences our perception of the world around us and our view of our place in it in different ways. In the following, youth running coach Antonio Freyre explains that for him, running is a stage on which everyone can be themselves. Wherever you want to let your thoughts wander –mwhether it is a state of mind, a feeling or a finish line—let’s run there.

It’s hard to believe, given the enthusiasm with which he talks about running today, but Antonio Freyre insists he originally started the sport on a whim. “My husband said I should do something because I’m always bored,” he laughs. “He said, ‘You know, you look like a runner.’ I just thought, ‘I look like a runner? Come on.'”

Freyre knows that stories like his often end with “…and now I run twice a month!” But to his surprise, running became something much more meaningful to him. He became a youth running coach at Marathon Kids, an organization that, with the support of Brooks, encourages children of all abilities to make physical activity a regular part of their lives through running. Freyre compares running to the feeling of being on stage and is on a mission to share the joy of running with the next generation. As he gets faster, his enthusiasm grows and the environment around him comes alive. It’s showtime.

Every run is a show of its own

Freyre draws a parallel between his running mindset and the exhilarating thrill an actor feels on stage. “I’m totally into theater,” he explains. “I always think of the first mile as rehearsal. Rehearsals are terrible. But you have to do them if you want to have a good show. I rehearse because I know I’m about to put on a big show… and the show must go on.” And when he enters that zone, the world around him becomes a vibrant mix of color, movement and emotion.

This sensory kaleidoscope also acts as a soundtrack, he says: “I don’t like running with music because I like to hear nature, I like to see nature and I like to hear the birds near my house, I like to see the deer and the swans. I don’t mind seeing people either. I don’t want to be alone in the world, with no one else there. I want to see people running next to me. I want to be part of the park, the community.”

Keeping up with the next generation

The mental boost that running gave Freyre may have been enough to keep his engine running, but he’s also found a deeper meaning in it. After discovering that reset button that helped him relieve the stress and pressure of his job as a New York City teacher, he decided to coach a running team for students at his school, Marathon Kids, so they could experience the same thing. “A lot of the kids who might be shy in school are running,” he says. “It’s something they can be proud of.”

Many of the students, Freyre adds, identify as LGBTQ+, and it’s especially important to them to create a place where they belong. “We do more than just running,” he says, noting that he values having fun and being together more than exercise or competition. “They’re building their own community where they support each other. Unfortunately, there is bullying in schools, and we see it all the time. But in my running group, there’s no bullying. They all stick together.”

Shortly after Freyre completed his first half marathon, his daughter was born. His goal of encouraging the future generation of runners has even more personal meaning for him. Now that she’s a little older, he grabs the stroller and takes her on his runs. “These are experiences that bond her and me. When I come home, it’s become a tradition to go running with her,” he says. “Watching my daughter, playing with her, enjoying these moments that I’ll never experience again – I always want to be the best I can for her.”

There is joy everywhere

Freyre finds running to be a joy in many ways: enjoying the vibrant beauty of the world, recovering from a hard day, and developing a deep sense of community. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong,” he says. “But when I run, I feel like I belong. It doesn’t matter how you identify. Anyone can forget all that. You just run.”

Freyre’s smile returns as he thinks of the excitement, the rush you get when you move through the world – that familiar feeling of being on stage. “You have to give them a show,” he says, raising his hands in the air. “If you can’t run to the finish line, you have to dance, walk or crawl, because that’s your Show, so you have to do it. And when you reach the finish line, it’s a feeling that can’t be put into words. It’s magical.”