Trojan Gordon – The Bearded Runner

A few years ago, (wow it’s amazing that were mentioning years now!) we came across the Emancipated Run Crew, a run crew based out of London U.K. Founded by sisters Julia and Denise Stephenson, while we met the crew a few years back, this month we decided to feature the other founder, Trojan Gordon. Most of you know him as "The Bearded Runner", one of the most pleasant, inspiring, and supportive runners that you would ever come across. Trojan is also our second international feature, and it's always fun to see what's happening in the international run community. It's a true pleasure chatting it up with Trojan.

MSM: Hello friend! I always have extra excitement when speaking to an international runner. It shows us how different perspectives are when it comes to running while also opening our eyes to some of the same struggles that we fight here in the States. But simply put, how are you?

Trojan: Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and your readers. It's a real honour for me and the community I come from. Today I am feeling very good and truly blessed.

MSM: For us here in the States let’s get a little introduction into who Trojan is. When did your run journey begin?

Tojan: My running journey began in two parts. My friend Denise Stephenson (co-founder of Emancipated Run Crew) introduced me to running and offered to accompany me to get me started. [She] introduced me to the 'Couch to 5K' programme and gently got me running from one-minute intervals to running 5km without stopping.  I continued running on an off for a few years but didn’t find my groove until one day I was watching the Cardiff Half Marathon on TV and thought I wanted to do that. While watching the race, I signed up and since then haven’t stopped running.

MSM: We touched on when it began so let's get into the why. We all have our reasons or as I like to say we all come to that crossroad in our lives where there’s the choice to get fit and active or stay the course of not living a healthy life. What was your moment when you said to yourself that your health and well-being needs to take priority?

Trojan: Running keeps me mentally and physically grounded. It provides me a space to process thoughts and stress that I accumulate throughout the day. Running has become increasingly important to me in recent years as I work from home, and it gives me a daily why I need to get out of the house. To move and breathe fresh air. I am also very conscious that I am getting older (I’m approaching 50 this year) and see the health benefits of avoiding common problems that impact Black people, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and prostate cancer. 

MSM: When it comes to fitness, we can all choose various types of activities and exercise yet we all find ourselves falling in love with running. What was it that drew you into running and the community?