Crenshaw Boulevard – a stretch of road in South Los Angeles famous for many things. And the ‘Shaw is becoming known for one more thing: running. The Crenshaw Mile is a one-mile run/walk event that will take over the thoroughfare Saturday, April 5.
The concept of the gathering evolved from two friends from New York, Sharada Maddox and Knox Robinson.
“We both met in Brooklyn where we both were involved in the running scene in New York, and getting Nike Run Club off the ground in New York in the way that we kind of know it now,” said Robinson.
“We both moved here in 2020 and our local regular run was jogging down Crenshaw Boulevard, past the mall and past all the Nipsey and the COVID murals.” They then decided the street was too beautiful to run alone due to the flair of the street.
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“In 2021, when the boulevard got repaved and it was closed momentarily to vehicular traffic, it was like a runner’s dream. That’s when the idea took hold,” he said.
The event begins at 9 a.m. at Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, also known as ‘Nipsey Hussle Square,’ and continues north to Crenshaw and Vernon Avenue, concluding at Leimert Plaza Park. Various youth run/walks will precede the official event to involve children in the activity.
“We look at this as an intergenerational well-being movement [or] experience so we wanted to focus on the youth, too,” Maddox said. “We really want young people to kind of find joy in movement, to find joy, specifically, in running.”
Maddox, who was also a member of the Los Angeles Jets Track and Field Club, a group that has assisted black track athletes since 1973, felt the youth portion of the marathon was close to her heart.
“I started running with the Jets when I was nine years old and we would meet up at Jackie Robinson Stadium. This is back in the ‘90s. You didn’t see the running boom as it is today,” she said.
“You didn’t see people just running down Crenshaw Boulevard, just all in the neighborhood. So, I think by inviting [the youth] to see this, they’re seeing a different side of the neighborhood. They’re seeing Black and Brown bodies moving freely through the streets, and that was something that I didn’t see growing up.”
Knox also emphasizes running is not new to the area by a long shot.
“There was a very vibrant, passionate, active running scene in Leimert Park up through the mid ‘90s. There’s a group called the Renaissance Runners that was hosting events and runs,” he shared.
“There’s a cover of Jet magazine from 1978 that has two folks running at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The article was about jogging and in our neighborhood. So, the Crenshaw Mile? It ain’t nothing new.”
With partners such as Nike Run, LA Metro and Destination Crenshaw along the route, participants can expect fun, joy and laughter to motivate them to keep pushing.
“So we are creating this as a celebration of movement, community, well-being, and, after the race, there’ll be a lot of elements that I think our people have seen before and have experienced,” Maddox said.
“Crenshaw is a major character in this experience we are creating – a ‘finishers village’ – so there really is an opportunity to bring participants.”
“We’re really overjoyed with the potential and the promise to show the community at its best, and nothing more, nothing less,” Knox said.
“And you know, as we’re fond of saying at the office, even a marathon begins with a mile.”
To participate, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/LosAngeles/TheCrenshawMile
