Plan A, Crush Everything! With TeamWRK

If you live or ever visited the NYC running community there’s a good chance you've seen a few TeamWRK running shirts sprinkled across the area. Not only is TeamWRK known in the tri-state area but internationally as well. We Run Kings was founded in 2016 by Joe Shayne and Jenn Blalock was created with the goal of providing a run club that featured diversity in the NYC run community. Joe Shayne and Jenn are two true leaders as they are both changing the narrative as to what running looks like vs what the normal media wants it to look like. Both have also reached the unicorn Boston qualifying status and have proven that they have the knowledge to help you become the best runner you can be with their training plans and insight. This month Mid Strike gets to work with TeamWRK.

MSM: Let's WRK. I started my run journey back in the end of 2016 with Black Men Run NYC, back then we would always cross paths at races and in training but for our readers take us through the inception of TeamWRK. When was the group founded and what went into forming the group?

Joe: Let’s go! Yes man, always a pleasure when we cross paths. Well, in early 2016, TeamWRK began as a smaller group of young Black professionals who approached me about training them for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. They saw me go from a non-runner to a Boston Qualifying marathoner in the span of 12 months and wanted me to show them what was needed to run the half marathon. To be quite honest, I had no idea what I was about to do and certainly did not know how my life was about to change. I agreed to help them out and we got straight to training. At the time, we didn’t even have a name we went by the hashtag #NoSleepTilBKHalf.