Episode 27: Jean Bell, Coach and founder of Jeuness Track Club, on building Black Girl Magic

As a DJ, Charlie Dark MBE has traveled the world bringing people together on the dance floor. Getting people to find community through movement has always been his passion, whether as founder of the Urban Poets Society, a mentor for Bikestormz, through Bridge the Gap, and certainly with his London-based running group Run Dem Crew. Run Dem Crew was born out of his burnt-out from the music industry, when on Christmas Day 2006, Charlie decided to go for a run. Fast forward to 2024, and Run Dem Crew continues to transform running by encouraging the vulnerable and outsiders to take up space in running. "It's a sport not just for the professionals, elite or fast runners," as he describes it, "but also for those who run marathons in over five hours, because there, that's where you see the will power to and inner strength." 

It was a moment 10 years in the making for Black Roses NYC member Danni McNeilly. When she crossed the Chicago Marathon finish line at 2:59:33 in 2023, she became the newest Black American born woman to join a very exclusive list. With her accomplishment, Danni joined Black Roses teammates Sharada Maddox and Erica Stanley-Dottin. On the first episode of season four, Danni shares how long distance running became her passion, her dislike for the Boston marathon, and why running New York City and Chicago marathon courses remain her favorites.

Tom O'Keefe started his non-profit Stride for Stride in 2018, and to date the group has secured bibs for over 500 runners into the New York City, Boston and Miami marathons, the NYC Half, the Falmouth Road Race in Cape Cod and many other races across the country. The bibs to date, are over $138,000. With $54,000 this year alone, when the yearly average is $46,000 a year. Tom stumbled into running by having a very popular twitter account dedicated to Boston. From his experience, he recognized that a major hurdle to running is financing, and that has become his motivation for running. Stride for Stride creates a space for minorities, immigrants, and low income people to find themselves in the frontline of races. Running helps build communities, and it's that community that now will support Tom as he waits for a kidney transfer.

Mwangi Gitahi would be the first to tell you that he is naturally gifted as a runner. Growing up in Kenya, where long distance running is as common as apple pie, running is what everyone did. So excelling in South Kingstown High School in Rhode Island, was a no brainer. The unexpected challenges came when he picked up the whistle to be a coach. The red carpet that was laid out for him as a runner, didn't translate to being on the other side of the track. With his coaching career in bloom, he is set on challenging race directors to make races more accessible and inclusive. 

In the first episode of season three, the Chinatown Speed Kooks join the show for a behind-the-scenes look at The Speed Project. If you've never heard of TSP, it's an unsanctioned and unsupported race from the Santa Monica Pier to the Las Vegas sign. Sebastian Chiu and Let's Get Uncomfortable cohost Jaime Chien break it down the planning, financing, and running logistics, with a surprise visit from a special guest -- and a full action plan for how to escape a desert dog mafia.

The name says it all: 10IronWomen. A movement from Rowann Bowcutt and friends to bring true gender parity to the Barcelona Ironman—and so much more. Like many triathletes, Rowann began as a runner, before adding cycling and swimming, two disciplines that require access to training spaces and expensive equipment. On the latest episode, we hop across the pond to London to learn why Rowann co-founded 10IronWomen, how they trained during the pandemic, and what happens at changing stations on race day. Spoiler alert: full nudity is not allowed.

Today we step off the track to go behind the scenes into the business of running with Sol Rivera and Alex Felicier of Race the Bronx. Proud Bronx residents, Sol and Alex give us an inside look at how and why they bring races to their borough, which has the worst health rating of any county in New York State. They’re on a mission to make running races affordable and inclusive, and we’re along for the ride.

With nearly 40 marathons under his belt, Davon Culley has spent the last three decades running and being part of the running boom, from the track to ultramarathons and everything in between. Encouraged by the growth of Black runners, as well as the significant number of races by Black race directors, Davon joins the show to discuss his hopes of true diversity and inclusion in running, and how his leadership roles give him a seat at the table to bring change.

Art and running have a lot in common. Depending on your social connections or access to the outdoors, they can both be exclusive clubs. For Nacho Valle, the founder of Snake Run and volunteer/coach with Achilles International, art and running are about inclusion. On the latest episode of Let’s Get Uncomfortable, the Valencia, Spain, native shares his love for art and how it changed his perception of the world while growing up in an art gallery thanks to his father. That same passion for color, beauty, and heartbreak then led him to running and exploring the world. From being a guide for runners with disabilities in Spain, London and now New York, it’s all part of his master plan to blend all his passions, and ultimately open doors for others.

Jean Bell, a judge for New York State and former college track runner, has been coaching girls in Brooklyn through Jeuness Track Club, the grassroots organization she founded in 1985. Jeuness athletes, ages 5-17, learn not only how to train for athletic excellence, routinely competing in national and world championships, but how to become dedicated students with the goal, often attained, of earning a college scholarship. Join us for Episode 27 of the Let’s Get Uncomfortable running podcast to hear how Jean Bell has overcome barriers of personal and institution doubt to become an inspiration to thousands of young girl runners in Brooklyn—and how she feels about the acclaimed Netflix documentary Sisters on Track, featuring three of Jeuness Track Club's runners.