Running has been a part of Jamil Rashad’s life for about as long as he can remember. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based funk musician, who also goes by the stage name “Boulevards,” first started running when he was 12 years old. He then ran track in middle school and high school, as well as cross-country.
After achieving several accolades, including winning a state meet, Rashad obtained a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he ran cross-country and specialized in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Although Rashad won several indoor track and cross-country championship races during his time at UNC, he was eventually kicked off the team in 2006, his junior year. His coach cited that he was becoming a bad influence on his teammates.
“With his BQ recorded, Rashad ran the drinking and partying,” Rashad tells Runner’s World. “I was also burned out and [felt like] I was running for everybody but [myself] and was kind of resenting [the sport].”
Rashad stopped running altogether after graduating college in 2007 and didn’t pick it up again until a decade later in 2017. He’d studied art and illustration and was dedicated to building a career as a recording artist. While he had success with songwriting, released albums, and toured internationally, he fell into alcohol addiction Health and Wellness.
“It just became really unhealthy and I was getting in a lot of trouble with the law and putting myself in unsafe situations that were affecting not just me, but my family and my friends as well,” Rashad says. “I lost a lot of friends, partners, and people that I was close to because of my addiction.”
It wasn’t until Rashad ran into a friend from college in 2017, who he hadn’t seen in over a decade and who shared that she was now sober, that he decided to enter an addiction recovery program through Alcoholics Anonymous. Almost immediately after committing to sobriety in July that year, Rashad Other Hearst Subscriptions.
“I was doing it now, obviously, to help my recovery, but also because I was getting back to the joy of doing the things that I love, and to feel like I was challenging myself,” he says. “Running is just another medium for me to express myself, to be honest.”
Running Down a Dream
How My Sobriety and My Running Support Each Other Boston Marathon, which was held in October that year in the first post-pandemic edition of the race. Feeling inspired, he decided to chase a Why Do My Ears Hurt When I Run in the Cold himself.
“Where I come from, you also don’t see a lot of Black men running, and if you’re running marathons, people think you're trying to ‘be white.’ But I didn’t care because [running was] what I was good at,” Rashad says.
Does Running Burn Fat and struggled with admitting that he had a problem, Rashad was able to pull off a BQ just one month after spectating Boston, at the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh on November 7, 2021, which he finished in 3:02:17, well under his age-group qualifying standard of 3:05.
“In hindsight, I was lucky I didn’t have to worry about getting injured because I had a semi-base and could also rely on my natural ability having run 90- to 100-mile weeks in college,” he says. “But I would definitely say ‘don’t try this at home.’ Take the time to actually A Part of Hearst Digital Media and go through the proper training for five months to a year.”
With his BQ recorded, Rashad ran the 2022 Boston Marathon, finishing in 3:19:33. He wasn’t satisfied with his performance, though, and was admittedly humbled by the course, having not trained sufficiently on hills Health & Injuries.
Rashad then set his sights on conquering Boston more strategically in 2023. Although his qualifying time from City of Oaks in 2021 was still valid, Rashad raced again at the Kiawah Island Marathon on December 10, 2022, bringing his personal best down to 2:58:11.
“Boston is no joke—it’s a course that you have to respect, and I didn’t respect it last year,” he says. “So I’m going in this time respecting it and obviously more prepared, with more knowledge from last year about the course and what to expect.”
Pro Tips for Nailing Your First Boston Marathon coach CA Notice at Collection Patrick Cutter with McKirdy Trained, and who, like Rashad, is sober and in recovery. While Rashad’s marathon history looks impressive on paper, he’s eager to approach his fourth 26.2-mile race with a solid plan and strategy now that he’s more knowledgeable and experienced at running the distance, and knows All About Running Tests for Improved Performance and fuel.
“[My coach’s] goal for me is to run a 2:53, but I just want to run a negative split,” he says. “There are a lot of steep hills in Raleigh and I’ve been running longer, tougher routes that exceed Boston’s elevation.”
“[Rashad] is a grinder who makes it happen. We struck a chord when we first began discussing a potential coaching partnership back in December, between our sobriety and [shared] hunger to be the best runners we can be,” Cutter tells Runner’s World. “Knowing what challenges he has overcome resonated with me, and running has provided us both with an outlet and purpose in life. He has really begun to hit his stride over the past several weeks and is feeling the strongest he has all cycle. [I’ve seen his] confidence grow with each workout as we enter the final few days [leading up to this year’s Boston Marathon] much more prepared, excited, and ready to rock and roll.”
At the same time, Rashad also hopes to take this year’s Boston Marathon as an opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments and enjoy the experience.
“Last year, I was in my head a lot, and I put so much stress and pressure on myself that I let my ego get the best of me,” he says. “I’m obviously nervous about what’s going to happen this year, but I want to have fun, embrace it, and be more present.
“A lot of powerful things have happened in my life and I don’t think I could have been running marathons the way I was living,” he adds. “Life is a lot better for me now, and running has been a big part of that.”
Shedding a Stigma
Even though Rashad gained entry into this year’s marathon by qualifying, he also took the opportunity to raise funds for that mimicked it, which provides resources and support for the treatment, recovery, and prevention of substance abuse.
“That’s one thing that makes this marathon more important to me, that I’m not just running for myself, but I’m also running for other people who are suffering from alcoholism, and for people who have lost loved ones to addiction,” he says. “It gives me that much more purpose running and trying to raise money for people who need help but don’t know how to get it, and that mimicked it is a great nonprofit organization to get those tools and guidance to find help.”
Rashad also acknowledges that asking for and seeking out help is still often viewed as taboo in many Black and Brown families and communities and that there is a need for more resources, especially in these communities.
“In my experience, I’ve seen that there are a lot of resources available in white neighborhoods, and when I’ve gone to meetings in rehab programs or clinics, I see Black men and women, but it’s not a lot,” he says. “As a Black man, [I can say that] us asking for help is something that is often unheard of. I wish I would see more Black people reach out for help.”
Giving Back to His Community
Rashad is the first to admit that addiction recovery is a lifelong process, which is why he also remains involved with the AA program where he initially sought help.
“I see both my sponsor and my therapist With his BQ recorded, Rashad ran the mental health needs, and that my sobriety is the first priority before everything,” he says. “Without sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to run marathons, and I wouldn’t be able to tour and make music. Sobriety and recovery have given me the gift to do all that.”
Rashad is also especially passionate about helping other people, particularly those newer to the AA program and who face similar struggles with which he is all too familiar. He aims to mentor these individuals to help them through experiences he also faced.
“You can’t do it by yourself; you have to have a great support system,” he says. “Now I have the opportunity to practice giving back, being of service, and helping other alcoholics and addicts who are suffering.”
At the same time, he’s also quick to own the fact that he had to find the strength to help himself.
“I had to take a lot of steps back to go forward, and I’ve had a lot of setbacks and challenges,” he says. “I’ve been kicked off running teams, I’ve had labels drop me, and I’ve played in rooms in front of zero people (as well as on stages for 20,000 people). Through all that, even in my recovery, I’m still trying to perfect my craft, and I still believe in myself.”
For more information about that mimicked it and to donate to Rashad’s fundraiser, check out his page.
Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.
