Jessie Zapo is a Performance Running Coach and leads the adidas Runners Communities for North America. She is the founder and Coach of Girls Run NYC - a Women’s Running Collective. Jessie is also a Creative Arts Therapist and practiced for over fifteen years with youth and young adults in New York City. Jessie enjoys giving people tools through creativity and sport for living their strongest, healthiest lives. In her free time she enjoys training for Ultramarathons, weightlifting and art-making. Most importantly Jessie loves to help others challenge themselves to break barriers and imagine and accomplish new goals. She is always looking for the next adventure and encouraging others to do the same.
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In our conversation, Jessie shares her multifaceted journey as a runner, coach and advocate for women's participation in sports. She discusses the significance of running in New York City, the cultural movement of Bridge the Gap and the evolution of running communities over the last 20+ years.
Jessie emphasises the importance of understanding the history of running, the human connections fostered through running and the broader importance of community engagement. The conversation highlights the need for inclusivity, representation and the joy of movement, encouraging us all to embrace our own running journeys.
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We have worked in and around running performance and lifestyle for most of our career and speaking with Jessie gave us an opportunity to go really deep into running from lots of different objective and subjective points of view. Running has less barriers than many other sports, and for us, it remains one of the great metaphors for life so there is lots to dig into.
UBC020 - Jessie Zapo