Minette Paes

“New York City is currently the epicentre of the virus impact in the US. It has disproportionately devastated our communities of colour, completely distorted the way we live and interact as a transit and commuter city, but also illuminated the gems of New York coming together, rising up and fighting for each other.

It’s definitely been an up and down time. I’m a person who tends to thrive under pressure. I’ve been a busy body all my life and am very aware that my productivity decreases when I have too much free time. Creating face masks and making mood boards has really helped. After I got started with the handmade facemasks, I decided I wanted to donate them to essential workers and since then, it‘s all taken off.

I miss making memories with the people I love and runningnear the water — west side, east side, bridges, to the beach — especially when you get up high and are looking out at the city. Those are the times I remind myself, ‘you did it, you moved to New York City!’ My message to the AR community during this difficult time: don’t forget to remember your why for running. Not why you keep racing. But the reason you started running. Let that be your fuel.” ⁣

adidas Runners NYC Captain, Shiara Robinson is an athlete, designer and producer, and a well-loved and respected member of the community. “Please don’t succumb to the rhetoric on social media that you HAVE to be doing this or starting that. I think if you remain kind to yourself, you will leave space and opportunity to do things for fun and will actually end up surprising yourself”.

“Being asked to stay at home and not step out, is unnatural, especially for runners, so in times like these it is very easy for individuals to get triggered with mental stress and anxiety. It is of utmost importance that as a community, we focus equally on mental health as much as we do on physical health.

I’ve been a coach for 20 years now. Sport, especially running, is in my DNA and I enjoy guiding people on their running journeys. India has great talent and potential to excel when it comes to running; if athletes are trained properly. But there’s a lack of proper training systems and facilities here, especially in the rural areas. I created Aim Sports Foundation, so I could give young people a more structured, method-based way of training. Since its set-up, we’ve given over 25,000 students across 35 schools in rural areas the opportunity to train and compete in various championships. As an organisation, we develop sports culture in rural areas, encourage skill and potential in local players, but also provide help to those in difficult circumstances.That includes those hit by the pandemic.

In the last couple of months, we’ve handed out grocery kits to over 1000 families in rural areas and slums in Mumbai, 10,000 mineral water bottles to frontline workers working tirelessly to ensure public safety and set up a community kitchen serving daily wage workers. We’ve also given out PPE (personal protective equipment) to doctors and the police.

The greatest asset of the AR community is its people. The spirit of motivating and cheering one another on and off course is just beautiful. The community is so diverse and every session is enriching. AR’s indoor workouts are helping us to stay fit, healthy, positive, active and alert, and the regular talks and sessions ensure we help people deal with the mindset and mentality aspect as well. I am sure we will bounce back”.

Ajit Kulkarni is the Founder of Aim Sports Foundation and a crew runner for adidas Runners Mumbai. His energy and dedication, particularly at this time, make him a true inspiration to the community.

#Hometeam#adidasRunners #adidasRunnersMumbai

“Music stimulates me 100%. It gives me energy, even when I'm at my point of exhaustion. Music has the power to stimulate your brain and motivate you. Playing the right music or playlist, you don't even feel the kilometres passing by, I can guarantee you! I hope to bring some joy to those listening to my podcasts and playlists. I put a lot of love into creating them and the thought of lifting the mood of those stuck in isolation gives me such a high.

I miss my job and the energy exchange with people. I miss the rushing of chaos of everyday life and to have the freedom to be able to wake up and run outdoors – these are things that after so much time in isolation, seem like an eternity ago. It’s okay to not be productive in this current situation. The most important thing is to keep your mental health in check and take it day by day.

I've been enjoying leading the AR live sessions because I feel like I'm not training alone. We [the community] become more connected with each other and we manage, through each comment, to have a laugh and show that we are together, even if apart”.

This is Camilla Brunetta, DJ and Captain of AR Rio de Janiero. During the lockdown, Camilla has been busy creating sets and podcasts on Spotify, as well as hosting AR live sessions for AR Rio every Friday.

#hometeam #adidasRunners #adidasRunnersRJ #music