Running club provides shoes, confidence to runners of all ages
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Maria Potrero never thought she would become a wrestler, let alone make it to nationals with a college club team. However, that is exactly what she accomplished recently for Grand Valley State University.
She recruited herself for the wrestling team when she was a sophomore at Northview High School in Grand Rapids, although she didn’t quite know what to expect.
“I was thinking WWE style. I was a little nervous. I was like, they were going to put me in a mask, but it was not. It was a singlet, and it was very cool. (My coaches) liked it because I had stamina that came from No Surrender,” Potrero said.
No Surrender is a running club in Grand Rapids she joined while she was still in middle school. It helped her find the confidence to do more than running, like wrestling.
No Surrender Running Club is a new charity partner for the Amway River Bank Run this year.
Although the group meets twice a week and helps members of all ages learn about the sport of running, the activity is merely a vehicle for something bigger. The club uses sports for non-sport outcomes.
“Typically, we think of joining a sports team to become faster and stronger and win the most events. Instead, we’re looking at building confidence, managing stress, supporting your mental health and overall well-being,” Megan Lopez, NSRC executive director, said.
The club is free to join and provides members with shoes and other running tools. The volunteers, like Lopez, also provide a sense of community.
“We know that when we involve families, and we create a community that feels really safe and supportive and enjoyable to be at, those benefits are most likely to be experienced throughout a lifetime,” Lopez explained.
Potrero says Lopez is a pillar of support for her.
“I told her once when we were on a run. I was like I can’t do this. I can’t do it. She goes, ‘Yes, you can… you can do it.’ She talked me through an entire race. I like to say that No Surrender and (Lopez) were a huge part of me growing as a person,” she said.
It’s exactly the kind of support Lopez and other club leaders have strived to offer. They’re working to break down barriers to sport, which can be physical, like not having the right shoes, but may also be invisible.
“There are also perceived barriers, such as feeling like I’m not strong enough to run, I’m not fast enough. I don’t look like a runner. No one who is running looks like me,” said Lopez.
Potrero has taken the confidence she found from the club and ran with it. She continues to wrestle now that she is at GVSU and even made it to nationals this year, where she fell short of a win.
Although Potrero hates losing, her determination is clear.
“So, national qualifier, not national place, but I will be national place for next year. I know that for sure.”
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