They gather by the dozens at the Jefferson School at 6am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Black, brown, and white, women and men, old and young, united by the road ahead of them. Year-round, they run, jog, or walk a challenging route through the city. Members say the group has changed their lives for the better—and together, they’re working to do the same for Charlottesville.
William Jones III, co-owner of Charlottesville’s His Image Barber Shop and Natural Hair Studio, began what’s become the Prolyfyck Run Crew—inspired by lyrics in Nipsey Hussle’s 2018 song “Victory Lap”—to share his love of running.
Jones ran solo when he moved to Charlottesville in 2006, but over the years, he invited friends and customers to come with him, and the group began to grow one or two people at a time.
By 2019, its ranks had begun to bloom; new members included former vice mayor Dr. Wes Bellamy, who worked with Jones to design a roughly five-mile course through Charlottesville’s historically Black neighborhoods and public housing projects.
“We run the route weekly to encourage an active, healthy lifestyle,” says Crew member James Dowell, who runs marketing for the Virginia reggae band Mighty Joshua, “and to also show that it’s people of color, their color, out here running the streets. They’re community members and residents who greet us every day, and they are family.”
Therapist Juanika Howard says the group is her “accountability partner,” helping her get up and go when she’d rather sleep in. She’s seen close to 100 people gather for some runs. Other group members say Prolyfyck lets them run with more safety and confidence.
While collectively the runners don’t speak frequently about how the death of Ahmaud Arbery—who was murdered in 2020 while jogging in Georgia—affects them, “It’s important to be as vigilant as possible while we’re running, especially if it’s alone,” says Chris Cochran, a counselor at Monticello High School. But running with the group makes the whole experience better, he says. “Running with people you know that are going to motivate you, encourage you to push yourself, and hold you accountable really has a way of bringing the best out of you.”
That’s proving true on and off the road. “The crew has become an amazing networking vehicle,” says Derrick Waller, a product manager at PRA Health Sciences, “both supporting each other’s businesses and projects, but also serving as a way to positively impact the community.” Those efforts include picking up trash as they run, raising money for charity, dedicating runs to different community causes, and even helping one of their neighbors along the route with an upcoming move.
Cochran says he hopes that in the years ahead, Charlottesville as a whole will start to look more like the Prolyfyck Run Crew: “A bunch of people who don’t all look alike trying to leave the place better than they found it by pitching in and doing what they can individually,” he says. “When we’re all making small contributions, the results can be massive. I’m looking forward to seeing that change.”
This story was originally published in our debut issue of 434 magazine, on stands now.