He is a 62-year-old superior court judge, but they are former addicts and criminals. All of them, however, are part of one team: the Skid Row Running Club in Los Angeles (L.A.).
Twice a week, before the sun comes up, Judge Craig Mitchell runs the mile from his office at the country courthouse to The Midnight Mission, a social service organization centered in Downtown's Skid Row—the well-known area where the city's largest homeless population lives.
At the organization, he meets a group of 30 to 40 people and together they run through East L.A. The group includes runners from all walks of life and all levels of athleticism. Some members are homeless or in recovery, and others are lawyers, social workers or students.
Mitchell developed the program in 2012 after a man he'd once sentenced to prison returned to thank him. "He was paroled (假释) to The Midnight Mission and decided to come back and said "Thank you, Judge Mitchell, for treating me like a human being." The president of the organization at the time asked me if there was something that I could do to contribute to the organization, and I thought of starting a running club. That was the inception." Mitchell said.
Every year, Mitchell takes his most devoted Skid Row runners on a free trip to participate in an international marathon. "I come back to the courthouse after any run and check off who is there. And so, I know exactly who has been faithful to the running program and who just comes once in a while," he said.
Mitchell says he's been some participants turn their lives around, attending college, securing full-time employment and possessing calmness. "Running is a way for the participants to build relationships," he said. You can be an amazing runner and benefit as much as our fast runners, because at the end of the day you're going to be surrounded by people who really care about you and want to spend time with you. Everybody is welcome. We believe. We listen. We support.
