Jerry Francois always had a sense he could run fast but the schools he attended growing up in Brooklyn didn’t have access to a track nor the funding for a cross country team. By the time Jerry entered High School, he started to get in trouble. In his junior year, Jerry lost his mother and struggled to cope with the loss; realizing he needed something to ground him, he turned to running in his senior year and attended his first track meet at the Armory in Manhattan. Running made Jerry feel normal again.
Fast forward to 2016 when Jerry and a few friends were invited to a track meet. When asked for a team name, Jerry made up a name on the spot, drawing inspiration from his streetwear brand, GoldFinger. The team won their heat and the GoldFinger Track Club was born.
Together with Co-Captains Gemma Kitchen and Thomas Laurado, Jerry shares the journey of GoldFinger Track Club and the work they are doing to bring change to the community. In 2020, GoldFinger Track Club started organizing solidarity runs for the Black Live Matter movement, which included hashtags like Black Miles Matter and the now popular BLK Mile. GoldFinger Track Club’s activism and support of Black owned small businesses is well documented and their approach to introducing running and a sense of community to athletes of all walks of life is truly driving change through the sport.
To learn more about GoldFinger Track Club, you can follow them on Instagram at: @gftcnyc
To learn more about Jerry, you can follow him on Instagram at: @kingparkergold2001
To learn more about Gemma, you can follow her on Instagram at: @gemma.kitchen
To learn more about Thomas, you can follow him on Instagram at: @lllllaurado
Follow The Longest Stride:
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Twitter - @Longest_Stride
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