March Runner of the Month: Gordy Brown

Gordy joined NBR around May 2019 on a recommendation from teammate, Finn Bell. “My 2019 New Years resolution (cringe) was to run more; I’d done a few races with NYRR and had started going to Mile High Run Club in the East Village, but needed a more convivial community.” Finn sent him to McCarren park and now Gordy is one of our Wednesday Mourning Doves run leaders.

What do you do when you're not running?
I’m studying towards a doctorate in chemistry at New York University, so most likely you’ll find me somewhere around Washington Square Park drinking coffee and trying to keep my eyebrows on my face. My hobbies include music, video gaming and searching for the perfect Guinness in NYC (it’s the Swift on 4th St).

How did you initially get into running?
I don’t really have a good answer for this. I guess I’ve had a case of the zoomies since I was a child. My mother vividly remembers me legging it down the beach at Benalmádena when I was 3 or 4…my parents ended up keeping me on a leash for quite some time after that. The few times they let me off I spent chasing a hockey ball around a field for 70 minutes, and I alternated seasonally between field hockey and track throughout high school and university.

What is your favorite race distance?
I prefer the 5k - 10k range for racing, only because I think I know how to actually race them. Marathons are torture as I start too fast, crash too hard and rarely enjoy myself.

Best running memory?
I lived in Geneva from 2015-2017 and ended up working as a Residential Assistant for Boston University. Autumn 2016, Alec and I decided to run a beer mile on a whim at 10pm on a weeknight in Eaux-Vives, because why not. ~20 minutes and 4 Leffe's later, we weren’t so chipper.

Favorite running route in NYC?
Probably the run to McCarren from my flat in the East Village. A mile to the Williamsburg, a mile over the Williamsburg and a mile to the track. The sunrise and sunset jogs are very nice indeed.

Any running-related superstitions?
No time for any pre-race mumbo-jumbo as I’m usually running late anyway

What has running taught you or changed about you?
As cringe-worthy as this is, Nike’s slogan is absolute truth; “Just Do It”. No one really has my best interests at heart, only I do, and only I can take my interests and turn them into reality. Want to run a quick mile? Put in the effort, work your ass off and be patient. Want to run a marathon? Just do it! Hunker down, suck it up and put in the training cycle. Surround yourself with people who have more experience and more ideal qualities and you’ll steadily begin to improve and take things in your stride; iron does sharpen iron after all. That mentality transcends running into my PhD, musical and sports ambitions, and the only person who can stop me is myself. I’m very, very good at doing that.

Favorite post-race food?
The Bao used to have this killer bacon fried rice which was perfect after a longer run. Used to. I’m distraught and am looking for a replacement. Post-track slice and several High Life's are a close second.

Favorite song to run to make you want to run?
I have a high octane playlist on Apple Music called Trash Badger. Picture a badger in a trash can….everything kinda sounds like that. ‘Giles’ by Unearth and ‘Desolation’ by Lamb of God never fail to get the blood pumping for a race or a brisk track work out. For those longer runs, I’ll pop on the albums ‘Obzen’ and ‘From Mars to Sirius’ by Meshuggah and Gojira to help me settle into a steady pace.

Favorite running social media account?
Until Dante figures out his NYC trollhousing account I’m gonna stick with @werunbelfast. Werunbelfast speaks volumes about the running community back home in Northern Ireland, and shares NBR’s collective love of donuts and community. Plus I can wax nostalgic about running through the streets of Belfast and see some of my friends faces in high definition.

What do you think is the worst part about being a runner?
Honestly, recovery and self-care. I’m terrible at it, I wish I didn’t have to do it, but for my hips’ sake and longevity it must be done. Foam rolling is the absolute worst, yoga feels great only after someone has helped unfold me from some forsaken pose that I’ve gotten stuck in. Warm-up and cool-downs? What are those? Strides? Don’t know them. Running is only 50% of the runners lifestyle; discipline in cross training and nutrition are essential to exceed your distance and speed goals.

Best advice to running newbies?
Keep it consistent, keep it honest. If my parents can crush a couch to 5k, literally anything is possible. Surround yourself with good mentors and accountability partners, listen and be patient. Progress never happens overnight.

Current running goal?
Pipedream goal is to BQ. It’s usually within a few days of my birthday and I could picture no better way to ring up another year than running through Boston. Probably more attainable during COVID is a sub-5 mile but I’ll wait until the weather's a little warmer before starting on that.

Any other fun running facts about you?
For my first official race with NBR, I was briefly the fastest female runner at the 2019 5th Ave Mile. Not too sure Kaitlyn has quite forgiven me yet.