When Judge Craig Mitchell visited the Midnight Mission homeless shelter on Skid Row in Los Angeles in 2012, the organization’s president asked him if he could think of any way to contribute. Judge Mitchell was an avid runner, and he worked nearby. So he offered to start a run club for guys in the shelter. He hoped to get to know the people staying at the Mission better, maybe foster a sense of community.  What he didn’t know was just how profoundly running would change their lives and his.  The run club he started is the subject of a new documentary premiering at the LA Film Festival on Saturday, June 16th. Mark and Gabi Hayes made the film, and they’ve given Human Race exclusive access to the interviews they conducted over the course of the four years they followed the group.  The group started on Skid Row, but its members did not finish there.

Additional Reading:

Skid Row Marathon at the LA Film Festival: Saturday, June 17th at 12pm.

Skid Row Marathon Website

And Skid Row Marathon on Facebook 

Credits:Host: Rachel Swaby

Producer: Rachel Swaby

Reporting and documentary by Mark and Gabi Hayes.

Feedback from: Christine Fennessy, Brian Dalek, and Sylvia Ryerson

Founding editor in chief: David Willey

This episode is brought to you by Brooks.

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