Iman Wilkerson is building local run communities through her web-based app, The Run Down.
Group runs changed Iman Wilkerson’s life and contributed to the confidence she needed to go after her wildest ideas. Now, she is channeling her inspiration into supporting others to connect with their local community through running. In 2020, Iman created The Run Down, a web-based app that brings together local runners and shares different routes to explore in their community. The service started in San Diego, and it’s quickly spread to LA and beyond.
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Artwork photo credit: John Onelio
Shelby Stanger:
As some of you might know, I love running. I grew up running cross country and I still run regularly as a way to exercise, to get outside, and clear my thoughts. I like running by myself or with my partner, Johnny, but I know a lot of people who love run clubs and there's a lot to love about them. They offer a sense of community, support, education, accountability, and maybe even a little competition. For Iman Wilkerson group runs have changed her life, and now she's supporting others to connect with their local community through running. After coming up with several great wild ideas, Iman created The Run Down. It's a web-based app that brings together local runners and gives them different routes to explore in their area. The service started in San Diego and it's quickly spread to Los Angeles and beyond. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living.
Shelby Stanger:
Iman Wilkerson is a lifelong runner. She ran track in high school and in college, she continued to run for exercise, but she didn't consider herself "fast" or "competitive." But then while living in New York City in her early 20s, Iman joined her first group run and developed an entirely new experience with the sport.
Shelby Stanger:
So talk to me about how you got into community running. What's the quick cliffnotes version of how you got there.
Iman Wilkerson:
Yeah.
Shelby Stanger:
Because you ran a little bit as a kid, but-
Iman Wilkerson:
I ran a little bit, so there's an element of competition that I think if you are athletically gifted, then you just shoot for that and just try to want to win. And as an adult, it's really hard to make friends. And as an adult, it's really hard to come to terms with who you are outside of what it is that you do and who you are outside of your relationship. And so I was a young professional in my 20s who was unhappy, and I was invited to show up for a 5K.
Shelby Stanger:
In New York City.
Iman Wilkerson:
In New York City.
Shelby Stanger:
So New York City wasn't an easy place to meet people.
Iman Wilkerson:
It's not. I mean, I was just living there. I was studying International Trade and Marketing in the fashion industry at FIT, at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and I was in a relationship that, technically, I had no business being in, and I was just carrying on in my life in the way that I thought I should live by what his lifestyle was like. And so when you're pooled to do something that's outside of your alignment, that's where depression sinks in. I was there for four years but I remember in year three, I got into running, and then I found right after that race, I didn't do well.
Shelby Stanger:
So it was a 5K in the middle of the week?
Iman Wilkerson:
It was a 5K in the middle ... That's what I love about New York. You'll have these really small, summer race series in the Bronx, Van Cortland Park. There's some that are in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, but they're really inexpensive.
Shelby Stanger:
So it was $5 to show up?
Iman Wilkerson:
It was probably $5 then, and I think, probably, a run club put it on. And then if you placed or if you finished well, then you got carrot cake at the end by a local bakery.
Shelby Stanger:
Amazing!
Iman Wilkerson:
Yeah, that was the stuff that got people excited.
Shelby Stanger:
I would do that.
Iman Wilkerson:
I miss those days of running.
Shelby Stanger:
$5 for carrot cake.
Iman Wilkerson:
There was no medal involved. There was no t-shirt. You just show up. Yeah, I ran it. I didn't do well. I was like, "You know what? I think I'm going to come back next year and do better, but I want to find a run club," and I didn't really know where to start so I went to meetup.com and I found something that was close by. I was living in the Upper West Side and I just showed up one day by the Bridle Path in Central Park. And then these people were just like, they're not super athletic, trying to win races, but they wanted to just run and drink beer. So we all would just meet up once a week and do that.
Iman Wilkerson:
And then through that, I was building confidence within my own self of running a 5K successfully, and then I'm meeting other people who are doing half marathons and marathons. And then through this confidence that I'm seeing within the company of this community, I can go back to school, finish school, get good grades, graduate, do all these things. It was this parallel that I was noticing. It just reinforced all the good things in my life, and then everything that was bad and negative, just sloshed away.
Shelby Stanger:
When Iman found a run club, her mindset changed. Iman graduated from FIT, she left a relationship that wasn't serving her, and she continued to run farther and faster. Over time, Iman became an integral member of her run club, and she started to lead group runs in cities across the country.
Shelby Stanger:
So to me, tell me if this is right, Iman. My understanding of a run club is they can be in any city, any place, a lot of times retail stores host them, and they'll put out to the community, "Hey, we're going to do a 5K. Come and join us," and afterwards, maybe there's refreshments or everybody goes to a bar afterwards or whatever, but it's different everywhere.
Iman Wilkerson:
It's different.
Shelby Stanger:
So yeah, what are some of the differences and what's the run club leader's job? Because that's what you do, and I'm guessing it's not paid.
Iman Wilkerson:
No, it's at the will of everyone's time and what they're willing to give to the community. What I think I love about different cities is how they identify that need within the community. So, North Brooklyn Runners was what I started running with fully. And there was a woman. She wanted to run with people, that's all she wanted to do so she posted up these flyers, just grassroots, and then people would just take them, just show up in McCarren Park in Williamsburg. And then because of that, I think North Brooklyn Runners is the best example of what the perfect run club could look like, right, because they meet every single day and it was just very organic. It was like, "Hey, let's meet at this one day," and then somebody was like, "You know what? I have time for this day, so let's do track workout," and, "You know what? I can't really do PM," so another person will volunteer their time to meet same day, but in the AM because it's really suiting the community.
Iman Wilkerson:
It just kind of spawns from there. I've led run clubs out of Brooklyn. I've led run clubs out of Chicago and in San Diego, and they all are a little bit different. The ones in San Diego, I mean, I've led them out of Milestone Running Store and it's just really quick and easy and convenient to be able to show up to a parking lot, to a running store, drop your bags off, and then just start and go from there. But then if you are showing up in the middle of the city, it really is at the will of somebody who's just like, "All right, we're just going to do this with what we have and go and run and come back." It's never really just about the run. It's really about getting the people connected to community with this one common denominator around running.
Shelby Stanger:
Do you have any stories of people who've been impacted by a run you've led or a run club you've been part of? Right now, you lead this beautiful run in Shelter Island, which is kind of near a marina in San Diego and it's three miles, and it usually ends at this beautiful brewing company because, well, you love beer.
Iman Wilkerson:
I do love beer. It's true. I love those who start the community because they wanted to see people who look like them to show up, so shout out to the Santa Mujeres Run Club.
Shelby Stanger:
Who are the Santa Mujeres-
Iman Wilkerson:
Santa Mujeres Run Club. So they are Mexican women. They meet every Thursday in Balboa Park. They started because they didn't really see anyone who reflect how they looked, their heritage. It just seemed very whitewashed to them, and they didn't often show up to other run clubs because they didn't really see themselves within that crowd. They're just amazing people. I mean, they showed up, they had a very small following, but then they grew, and that's the thing. If you're going to start a community, just understand that you're not going to have 20 people show up the first day you start, and I think people get really discouraged when they want to start a community because there's a small drippling effect of people, but that's the thing. It's like you're building it organically. You're getting to know people, and then people are going to be like, "Hey, what are you doing Thursday? You should come out and meet these women."
Iman Wilkerson:
Virginia and Priscilla, they are amazing women and they encourage you to want to run, whether it's one mile or it's three miles. You can just show up and walk or you can run, but you feel connected. You feel seen being women of color who are from San Diego, who are part of the Latinx community. You see yourself reflected and you feel safe and you feel comfortable, and then because of that confidence, it makes you want to go explore other run clubs, and then maybe sign up for a race. There's always a trickle effect because not often do people want to just start running to want to do races. So I think this is part of that confidence that I'm talking about.
Iman Wilkerson:
We lose it someplace when we become adults and we lose our identity through our work, or through all these other experiences that have nothing to do with us that pull us outside of that. But then when you meet other people who are just encouraging you to run one mile, you leave, you're happy, you're sweaty, and then you show up again and again. It's those experiences I continue to come across as a run leader, or as an observer, and want to continue to connect these communities together so that people are seen, they're found, and they're not alone.
Shelby Stanger:
Iman lights up when she talks about the camaraderie of runners. As she got more involved in the running community, Iman found herself leading group runs in New York, Chicago, and in San Diego. Every city was a little different, but running gave Iman the chance to meet new people and explore the city. She loved being able to connect with people and places as she got in her workout, and she wanted other runners to be able to explore cities this way, too.
Shelby Stanger:
How did you get the wild idea to create an app, The Run Down, and maybe you could just tell us, also, what it is?
Iman Wilkerson:
It started because I have a company called Step by Step Run.
Shelby Stanger:
So this was a wild idea that led to another wild idea.
Iman Wilkerson:
This is a wild idea that just opened itself up into another wild idea, yes. So in 2018, I started Step by Step Run. Step by Step Run is a running tour company that allowed you to run like a local and not like a tourist. So if you're visiting San Diego, and if you wanted to see Sunset Cliffs, then we would go on a Sunset Cliffs run at sunset, or a brewery run tour through North Park, but just something that really connects running with the local side of the city so that you're not just only running up and down the boardwalk in PB. Which is totally fine but, I mean, there's so much more to a city to want to see on foot.
Shelby Stanger:
So it's a concierge run service basically. You're running physically with people who come to the city so they have a buddy and you're showing them something like the breweries of North Park, which sounds amazing. Are you having a beer every mile when you run?
Iman Wilkerson:
It has been requested, yes. If you can handle that, sure. I don't mind it.
Shelby Stanger:
But that's amazing that you can.
Iman Wilkerson:
The idea wasn't really so that I was doing all the running around, but it was so that I could create a company so that I could hire local runners to offer these services. So whether it was a run tour or you hire a pace partner. If you're training for something, but you don't really know where to go, or if you're a woman, or anyone who doesn't feel safe or comfortable running by themselves at any time of the day, then you could hire a pace partner to run with you.
Shelby Stanger:
That's kind of awesome. So if I needed to do 10 miles at a 6:30 pace, which is almost impossible for me, pretty impossible, I could hire someone to do that.
Iman Wilkerson:
Exactly.
Shelby Stanger:
That's amazing.
Iman Wilkerson:
I thought the easiest way for me to find my customers was through hotels, and so I went door to door Downtown, presented my services to concierge, and they were like, "Yeah, we do talk to runners, and we don't know what to tell them because we're not runners, but we just tell them, 'Here's the Harbor.'" And I was like, "Well, here are these services that I could offer your guests," and they were like, "Mm-hmm. Okay, cool," but nothing came of it and I was like ... Sorry, you can't see that, but that was angry, I'm going to figure this out.
Iman Wilkerson:
So then I wanted to create an app called PacePartner, and for about nine months to almost a year, I was trying to create an app where it was like Uber for runners, where you could hire someone right there, and then anyone who is kind of like a driver, they would then be pinged maybe a day in advance or something and confirm, and just kind of go about it in a way that we all know gig economies to be. As I was trying to develop the idea of this, I was also trying to figure out how to connect the local community to all the runs that are happening within the area. In a typical week here in San Diego, there are at least, minimum, five run clubs that are happening on a daily basis here. The most popular week is a Monday, and a Wednesday, and a Saturday, so as I was trying to figure that out, I was thinking, "I need to give people the rundown of what's going on next year," and I was like, "The Run Down. That's it."
Iman Wilkerson:
It's not about PacePartner, at least not yet. I'm putting this on the burner, but let me focus on the community aspect because to serve community, I think is the best thing that one could possibly do. I got this download of information at 1:30 in the morning and I was like, "I know exactly what this is going to look like. I know how this app is going to be laid out. In fact, I can figure this out. I think I know how to create this app without having to use a coded platform. I don't need to hire anyone. I just need time to be able to just do it."
Shelby Stanger:
When we come back, Iman breaks down the first steps she took to build and fund her app, how she adapted her business during the pandemic, and why running communities are so important to her.
Shelby Stanger:
Runner Iman Wilkerson has always been passionate about two things, running and community. When she was struck with an idea to combine the two, she knew she had to pursue it. Iman's the type of person who is more afraid of not going after her dreams than she is of failing. While she'd had entrepreneurial projects before, something about The Run Down felt different. It felt right, but that didn't mean that launching the app would be easy. In order to get The Run Down up and running, Iman had to make some uncomfortable decisions.
Shelby Stanger:
So what you do is you've created this app, The Run Down, you're connecting communities to each other. There's also a really cool feature on the app. Do this little scavenger hunt sort of thing through Balboa Park, which is a beautiful park in San Diego, and learn about places and play a video while you're running. I mean, you've got a lot of great things. Now taking that leap is financially risky. You're not a trust fund kid. How do you do it?
Iman Wilkerson:
So going back, always choose yourself. Sure, be responsible, see what's in front of you, see what you can do, but always choose you at the end of the day. And if it doesn't tap joy, then back away from something and then go towards joy. So financially, 2018, that was my moment of reckoning where I thought I had the perfect job for me. I was working at a brewery, my favorite brewery, in this job that was perfectly created for me. On paper, it was perfect, but I wasn't happy, so I quit. And then, I am in Joshua Tree doing the stereotypical, "What is life?" existential moment, and I realized all these things that brought me to San Diego is not for nothing. It's not in vain.
Iman Wilkerson:
I wrote down, "Okay, so what are the things that bring me joy? What do I want to do? All right, I'm going to start a business, but what am I going to do to get there? If I apply for another job, it's going to take the creativity away from me, or just drain me at the end of the day. And then I know that 6:00, as soon as I hang up that hat and put on this entrepreneurial hat, I'm not going to have the energy to put life into me to pursue something.
Shelby Stanger:
If you pursued a normal 9-5 job.
Iman Wilkerson:
If I pursued a normal 9-5 job. So I decided to put myself in the position of discomfort by being a Lyft driver. So for maybe 18 months, I was a Lyft driver, and then I also worked part-time at Milestone and-
Shelby Stanger:
Which is a running store.
Iman Wilkerson:
Which is a running store in San Diego. It's very humbling. I mean, obviously there's nothing wrong about being a Lyft driver or a gig economy worker. It's just being put in a situation that you know it's going to be temporary, and you're trying to do everything that you can to get out of that situation because the alternative is either you stay and just do that forever, or you resign and then you do that 9-5 that you also don't want to do, so you have to do everything you can to get out of that uncomfortable situation.
Iman Wilkerson:
There's a lot of things to be said about that, about being a Lyft driver. I got to practice my pitch. I got to feel comfortable about talking about myself. When people asked about what I did, then that was my opportunity. Whether it led to something or nothing, I got to talk about it because it was all practice. Me driving around San Diego got me to really understand the landscape of San Diego. All of these things, I mean, it was not for nothing, but I took it away because I knew it was meant for me to build towards something else in the future. I encourage people. Don't be afraid of pursuing something that's meant for you. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation so you can see how much you're worth it to pursue your wild dream.
Shelby Stanger:
It's really great that we do have these jobs now for people that are flexible, for people who need to make money in some ways and save up to do their wild idea. Okay, so now The Run Down. So The Run Down is a web-based app. It's not something you go find on the App Store on your Apple phone.
Iman Wilkerson:
Mm-hmm. So this was an MVP, which is a minimal viable product, or a prototype. I created it soon after I had that inspiration, that download. After having worked with developers and couldn't get the product that I was looking for, I was like, "I'm going to figure this out. I was given this inspiration. I have this motivation. Let me figure this out," and I did. I found this no-code platform that is a web-based platform, which meant that I didn't really need to know how to do things in script form or whatever that means. I created it with the intention to see if it works, to see if my community would buy into it. This was two years ago, almost, when we launched this app, and then COVID happened so that kind of changed a lot of things.
Iman Wilkerson:
My co-founder at the time and I, we were like, "Okay, well the intention was to bring people together, find community connection, find places to go to meet up, all these things. Now, COVID's like, 'Oh no, stay away. Stay apart. Do not get together,'" so we had to change our messaging. We had to continue to inspire people to run and do these run challenges through the app. So during 2020, we were building a following in the base, which was really great, and then eventually some run clubs open up again so then now we could actually tell people where to go safely to find community. But that's the thing, that was what's really interesting. Right before COVID, we started this, and then during COVID people had nothing else to do but run. We were meeting, or people were learning how to run through us, or where to find community. It was through us.
Iman Wilkerson:
Everything was just really kismet and just perfectly timed. So now, it's 2021, I have this really great relationship with Lululemon. They heard about what I was doing in San Diego. They heard about LA and was like, "Oh, we would love to have this here." San Francisco was like, "We'd love to have this here." So this time last year we relaunched in San Diego with the Balboa Park self-guided audio run tour through The Run Down. Because, again, you couldn't come together to run, but on your own, you could come to Balboa Park, do this self-guided audio tour like a scavenger hunt, listen to run club leaders tell you where to go, some factoids and some tips about the next spot, which was really cool, and then you could win prizes and stuff through Lululemon.
Iman Wilkerson:
And then, we launched in LA, and LA was a really great opportunity for us to get people outside of their comfort zone because people are either west side or east side. But there's so many great places in between, like in Inglewood. Go to Inglewood. People don't go to Inglewood because there's a stigma attached to Inglewood, but if you go to Inglewood, there's so much beauty there and there's this really amazing park to run through, Kenneth Hahn Park. My responsibility, I felt like, was to one, show people what the community was there, but then also show these amazing places for people to get outside of their neighborhood to go run.
Shelby Stanger:
In a lot of ways, The Run Down is a one stop shop. It brings runners together and it helps people explore the landscapes of their local communities. Iman is also using her network to make running more accessible for everyone. It's pretty incredible that building a running community has become her full-time job. You love running. You love the clothes, you like the shoes. What do you love about running? What does it do for you that other things don't?
Iman Wilkerson:
It's just this perpetual motion ... It's a very natural rhythm. It may not feel that way for some people to start, but I always go back to we are naturally born runners, even though we don't do it on our day-to-day, but once we take the time to allow ourselves to breathe into a run, something connects and your brain turns off, and you can just allow yourself to just move with the rhythm of your breath, of the pace that you want to go through, with the environment that's underneath your feet, and your mind can clear away. And then you don't have to be anyone, you don't have to think of anything, but you can just allow yourself. It's just a simple action that takes you from one point to another, and you cover ground, and then that's it. You don't really need the technology. That's all icing.
Shelby Stanger:
It's all gravy. You don't even need shoes.
Iman Wilkerson:
You don't even need shoes. You could just get out there and just be very natural with it, and I think that's always been ... It's very intimidating. For some reason, running is intimidating for a lot of people. I think they have a negative connotation because if you were in basketball or football, it's like, "Go run laps."
Shelby Stanger:
Running was a punishment.
Iman Wilkerson:
It was a punishment, but when you separate yourself from a coach just kind of berating you, eliminate that. Just go out for a run with no expectation. Have grace with yourself. Know that, especially if it hasn't been a while, that time, it may not feel great. The second time's going to feel better than that first time, but the third time will be better. I think that there's a lot of beauty to the movement of running, even as we age. You don't have to be too fast and you don't have to be too slow. You just have to move.
Shelby Stanger:
Why is creating community, especially through running, so important to you?
Iman Wilkerson:
Because it's never about running. It's about creating spaces for other people to show up and being inspired by other people. Within the running community, we're showing up in our gym clothes, the stuff that's in the bottom of the drawer. We're in this situation where we don't really know each other from anything, except we all have this one common denominator of wanting to complete a run and then that's it, but we're really showing up for ourselves and wanting to be uplifted.
Shelby Stanger:
If you live in San Diego or LA, or if you're visiting San Diego or LA, definitely check out The Run Down. Remember, it's a web-based app, so you can download it from your browser at therundown.run. You can also learn more about The Run Down on Instagram, @therundown.run. Iman Wilkerson, thank you so much for coming on Wild Ideas Worth Living. Your creativity, your perseverance, and your vision is so inspiring. I can't wait to run with you. If you want to connect with Iman, you can check out her Instagram, @on.iman.opia. That's O-N-dot-I-M-A-N-dot-O-P-I-A. Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, written and edited by Annie Fassler and Sylvia Thomas of Puddle Creative, and our senior producer is Chelsea Davis. Our executive producers are Paolo Mottola and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow this show, rate it, and review it wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.