Cigale Henry: She Cant Beat Me or My Outfit!!!!

Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend again. Everyone knows this stylish wonderful human being in the running community Cigale Henry as she literally runs with style and grace as fashion also carries over to those race kits she runs in for the big races. I hope y’all are excited as we are because Cigale is one of the most outgoing individuals I’ve seen as she’s a runner, traveler as well and last but not least a fellow Scorpio like myself. Oh, and lastly, she has fun while doing it all.

MSM: So, we had our people contact your people and here we are. It feels like we should’ve spotlighted you in Mid Strike a long time ago but here we are, timing is everything. Let’s start with the obvious, why running and what was it that made you want to make it a lifestyle?

Cigale: I’m Jamaican, running is what we do! I was born on the most beautiful island ever and lived there for the first nine years of my life. I have the most scenic, nostalgic, loving memories even with the constant poverty. I recall sports day at basic school (USA equivalent of Pre-K and Kindergarten) where students were broken in groups and each group given a name, usually that of color. I recall having glucose powder poured into my palm to give me energy to win. I remember the vendors selling candies, ice cold juices and all the family member watching from the hills as we ran our little hearts out. This is how they scouted for raw talent and if you were good enough you may earn your way out of poverty and maybe even stardom. I’m sure this is how Usain Bolt and Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce were discovered.

I love watching others run, I love running myself, I attend professional track events; simply but I love all things running. I keep up with the up-and-coming Jamaican athletes and I love collegiate track and field. By the time you see a runner at an Olympic game, I’ve been following them for years.

Once I met the ladies of BGRLI and found out I could now do what I love watching others do, I signed up and for the last six years of my life I’ve kept signing up. Running makes me happy, it provides me peace, clarity and allows me to maintain my long and lean body frame.

I will run until I can’t anymore!

MSM: Let's get into the obvious. I think it’s safe to say that you’re definitely into fashion. Tell us a little bit about your background and interest in fashion. Was this an interest that you’ve always had?

Cigale:I love fashion! It’s right up there with running but unlike running I wasn’t born into it. Fashion and I met in Queens, NY. in the early to mid 90s. Coogi sweaters on television, the hottest Queens rappers could be seen shopping on Jamaica Avenue, MTV, BET, Hip Hop music videos, Guess jeans, bamboo earrings, 54-11 reeboks were all the rave when I entered high school. My mother couldn’t afford any of it, so I watched my cousins, and all the cool kids parade their through the halls of Flushing High School. So, I decided to be different and dress up, all the way up. I wore slacks, blouses, button down shirts and Payless dress boots to high school. No Jansport book bag for me instead I carried a large pocketbook filled with AP textbooks. It took a little convincing, but my mom went along with the new look once my grandmother co-signed it. At work I dressed for the job I wanted not the job I had. People would ask “where are you going?” My reply was always “work”. I learned my body type and how to dress my specific body type. It became my thing; people would want to see what I was wearing, and I always delivered. I work from home now, so my style isn’t displayed as much but that just means I go harder when it’s time to deliver lol.

MSM: To stay on top of all the exclusives alone takes a lot of attention, to have the inside scoop I should say. You mind telling us your secret when it comes to staying in the know and in the latest trends?

Cigale: Does it take a lot? Maybe but I’ve never found it as work or a lot. I follow the fashion trends just like I follow running. I also know how to tell a trend from a classic. Fashion often repeats itself, so those iconic styles repeat itself. Style is different from fashion and properly more important. Style is what you bring to the clothes. A $5 dress can look like a million nicks based on the body and person it’s on. Style requires confidence and comfort. Comfort with who you are and what you’re wearing. Confidence will follow; and everyone will want to know who is that girl and what is she wearing.

I’ve styled a few people for different events including a magazine spread. I hope to do that more and even make a career out of it. I’ve also amassed a great deal of shoes and clothes and often use them to style others.

In April 2016 when I downloaded the Nike running app to train for my first race (5K) ever I owned one pair of sneakers. Two toenails later I would learn it wasn’t a running sneaker. Today I currently rotate 20 pairs of Nike running shoes, 5 cycling shoes and roughly 400 pairs of shoes boots and sandals.

MSM: There’s a saying “if you look good, you feel good” but also “if you look good, you’ll run good”. It’s all about the race kits on race day and it really can set the tone on how you feel at the start. You’ve clearly brought fashion to the pavement consistently. What goes into those race kit fits?

Cigale: #SheCantBeatMeOrMyOutfit. That hashtag was created in 2018, during my NYC Marathon training cycle. I got faster and stronger, eventually joining the 37% of women to run sub 2 in a half marathon. I ran 1:56:39 at the dreadful NYRR Staten island half marathon. Looking good is huge for me in running and life. Comfort followed by confidence. I remember my first 5K on June 11, 2016. I decided to wear orange because it compliments my chocolate skin. I decided to wear Nike sneakers because they just make cute sneakers in an array of colors. I wanted a visor because that’s what they wore on television. I laid everything out on the bed and took a picture. I didn’t even know that was a race kit or “flat Cigale” I was just excited to look fly the next day. I’ve done that for every race since then. Some races I know what I want to wear and then proceed to find it via the web. Other times something may just catch my eye. My go to is still Nike because it’s pretty and I’m a girlie girl and love pretty pink, sparkles and bright colors. Nike delivers all that without fail. While I don’t get a new outfit for every race, I do a new outfit for every marathon. We must respect the distance and that’s my way of showing respect. I already know what I’ll wear in Japan 2023, and I will wear yellow in Boston. It’s the Boston colors and my six stars so it’s only right to look like a sexy @ss beef patty.