Adam’s story is one of service, perseverance and community, one that needed to be told through our Honoring Black Excellence initiative, a year-long celebration highlighting four honorees from different worlds of sport, offering a platform to give back and get involved. As a 2022 HBE Honoree Adam received a Pop-Up in Uptown and donation to his nonprofit The Body PRJCT, as well as an NYC exclusive apparel pack and Video-led curriculum teaching community leadership on the adidas Community platform. Watch below as Johnell Young from Hulu’s Wu-Tang Forever tells you just who Adam is, in a film directed by Tom Bender.
Two words lead Adam’s journey, “Keep Running”, and he means this in every definition of the word. As a teacher and coach he means it literally, as a whole the intent is broad, meaning whatever you may face you can defeat, just Keep Running. This theme and motivation was carried through all activations and product created for and by Adam, bringing a sense of support and accomplishment to the biggest week in NYC. Also shown throughout was a symbol of giving Adam his flowers, a white rose encompassing the Big Apple; a reminder of who and where he does it for.
"Keep Running In Life, In Love, and in Community"
The celebration began with a 3-Day Pop-Up in Uptown at MRFU NYC, a local clothing store and boutique. From October 28th to the 30th we opened up shop and had events for the community, welcoming runners, uptown residents and students alike. Day 1 was open for selling during the day, and at night we had an intimate session with Adam, adidas Communities Director Andre Pinard, and close friends and family. Adam and Andre had a personal discussion about Adam’s journey, his son AJ, the future of his work in NYC, and details seen throughout his running collection, with crowd reactions and questions fully tuned in to learn more about the man who runs NYC.
Day 2 opened bright and early to host the last of adidas Runners NYC marathon training program runs, a 10 mile long run for those who’d been learning and growing for 16 weeks ahead of NYC 22. Following that long-term accomplishment everyone headed inside for recovery and snacks, with the added bonus of heat press customization for anyone with adidas running product. Hundreds of people registered for these events on the adidas Running app and we loved seeing the creativity of designs, using the same elements Adam created for his apparel to inspire and support. Also stopping by the Pop-Up on Saturday were students from the adidas Beyond program, a partnership with the Mayor’s Fund and Dept. of Education that founds in-school run clubs at High Schools around the city.
Day 3 was the day everyone was waiting for, a run designed by Adam to tell his Uptown story. This almost 4-mile run started at the Pop-Up location and took a community of 100+ through the streets, tunnels and neighborhoods from Adam’s past as he told stories of their importance. The last stop on this run was the mural itself located at the top of the 215th St. steps. Joining the runners at this stop were neighbors and community members who had watched in awe as muralist William Power (@hiphopismyreligion) put paint to canvas showing Adam, AJ and Quitta in the light of their impact. Friends spoke, Family shared, everyone cried, and then Adam took the stand, getting very personal and making his mark on a community he already helped shape. As a final thank you from Adam to those closest to his journey, 9 individuals were gifted exclusive NYC22 Adizero Adios Pro 2 running shoes in commemorative boxes made by Todd Stansbury (@toddstansbury), the same custom shoes Adam went on to use for 26.2.
Congrats to Adam for conquering NYC 22 and for being the HBE Honoree that every city needs. Keep up with Adam on his Instagram @adamrunsnyc, find his running apparel pack in NYC adidas Stores while they last, and watch adidas.com/HBE for updates on his adidas Community curriculum and nonprofit ‘The Body PRJCT’.
THANK YOU FOR RUNNING WITH ADAM!