Under Armour has teamed up with Canadian Running to produce the Under Armour Diversity Series—an exclusive feature content series designed to highlight and promote individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a commitment to grow the sport of running, support those who are underrepresented and help others. The series features stories and podcasts highlighting these extraordinary Canadians who are making a difference in their communities and on the national running scene.
Every Saturday morning, something incredible happens in downtown Halifax. A group of men runs down the streets together; during the warmup, there are some good natured groans and grumbles, but a few minutes in, conversation starts flowing freely as they push themselves through the morning miles. In the middle of the crew, usually smiling and making a joke, is Preston Trench. Whether it’s pouring rain or boiling hot, he can be found cajoling reluctant runners out for their weekly adventure. For him, running is salvation—and he’s seen the life-changing impact it can have on other men, as well.
By day, Trench, a social worker, is the team lead and wellness navigator for the Nova Scotia Brotherhood, a program created by Nova Scotia Health to help Black men who face barriers accessing healthcare. But on the weekends, Trench is simply a runner. “Running is about dedication and passion and discipline, but it’s about love too,” he says. “I just love it.”
And he’s always loved it–ever since he was a kid growing up in Jamaica and realized he could run. “Growing up, I was a chubby kid, and I was always the crux of everyone’s joke. One day, my older brother was teasing me, and then he ran away from me. And I was like, Oh no–I’m catching you today. I kicked off my slippers, and I just went running down the road, and I caught him. In that moment, though, I realized Oh, darn it, I’m fast. I actually can run! And then from there, I was hooked. Running became the thing that I was good at, but more importantly, it became the way that I was able to manage my emotions.”
A couple of decades later, he’s still running. And he started to realize that maybe running could be as helpful to the people he worked with as it had been for him. “Back then, I had some misplaced anger, and I realized that instead of letting it just build up, I could use that anger to fuel my running,” Trench says. “Over the years, it shifted. It’s no longer about catching my brother and beating up on him, or about wanting to be the best. Now, it’s about wanting to work on my mental health at the same time as my physical health. I know that I’m deserving of these things.”
That feeling—of deserving and working toward good mental and physical health—is what convinced Trench to start his running group. It began as just men, including many he was working with, and has expanded to include women (and occasionally, the kids who come along to the workout).
“My guys joke that I’m trying to kill them,” he says. “But they’ve come to realize how therapeutic running can be. One of my runners was incarcerated for 32 years, and he’s realized how important those runs are for him. A lot of people who come out struggle with anxiety and a fear of the unknown, and running can at least alleviate that, a little. He’s in his own race, looking for his own version of success.”
For so many of the runners, Saturdays represent one of the few chances they have to talk about their challenges in a safe space. “The age, the weight, the experience—none of it matters,” Trench says. “We just want you to be there. Walk if you have to, sprint if you want.”
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The runs start promptly at 7 a.m., and that’s on purpose; it requires discipline and commitment—and it allows runners to keep the rest of their Saturdays for relaxing, or for getting to work. “I want folks to wake up, rather than just sleeping in,” says Trench. “We need to go out there and actively work on our mental, physical and emotional health. As we warm up, we’re checking in. I’m asking, How everyone is feeling today? Is there something you need support with? Do you need us to show up? Do you want us to just listen? We all need these spaces in our lives.”
On Trench’s group runs, everyone is encouraged to find their own pace. “It’s important for everyone there to see that each of us has his own pace, because it helps us remember that life is not a race, and that small steps are still progress,” he says. “Whose template or whose roadmap are you using to judge your success? It should be your own map.”
That lesson translates to everyday life, too: “In life, you need to learn to pace yourself. When you hit up against a problem, it’s important to be able to take the time to calm down, breathe a little, work through the ins and outs and approach it from a place of sincerity and gratitude. It’s also important to be able to get honest about whether you’re trying to rush something, if you’re being impatient. That’s one of the biggest things in our day and age. We lack patience, because everything is so instantaneous. Running teaches you patience.”
Lest you think Trench’s group is all deep work and no play, don’t worry. Trench can turn on his goofy side. “I sometimes send the group a WhatsApp with a dance routine I’ve found online,” he says. “I’ll tell everyone to figure out it, because we’re going to do it on the weekend. And we do. We just act silly. Yes, we’re running, but we also want to be out there having fun, enjoying letting our hair down. Life is already complex and complicated. Why add to it?”
But ultimately, it is about the lessons learned out on the roads and trails. Trench finds that on the run, there’s always a life lesson to learn: as they’re picking up trash, he is chatting about how having a clean environment, even in your own room, can make a difference to your well-being. “I had a coach tell me that what you put in is what you get out, and that winners never quit, and quitters never win. He taught me that you need to decide who you are and how you’re going to show up,” he says. “And that translates beyond the track. It’s how we show up for ourselves, our community and our loved ones.”
As part of the Under Armour Diversity Series, Under Armour Canada has made a $5,000 product donation for Trench to continue his mission and help others get into running.
