E!: Tell me about the importance of running for your mental health and the other aspects of running that are beneficial as a part of your regular routine beyond the physical.
ZC: For me, I grew up an athlete, right, I played three sports and have been super competitive my entire life. And for me, it was always about winning, right? That’s just what it was. I had to “win” everything I did. My story is at 27, I ended up going to rehab to get sober, I put the drinks and drugs down, and I started to explore some healthy habits. Running has just become an unbelievable tool for me. Obviously, there are wellness components to it, you’re going to get in better shape, feel better, sleep better, and all of that stuff, but for me, it’s my go-to when I’m having a tough day. It’s a nice time to not be attached, put the phone down, and look inward.
E!: Tell me about your partnership with Reebok.
ZC: It’s a “pinch me” kind of deal because of Reebok’s history and heritage. look, I’m a Philly guy, so I mean Reebok for me is next level because of the brand’s history with Allen Iverson. What’s most important to highlight is they’re just really aligned with my belief system. First off, they have this generosity of spirit where they they kind of looked at our marathon team and said “What can we do?” and they’ve donated a pair of Floatride Energy 3’s to every person doing the marathon for us, which is huge out the gate guys. Okay, these guys get it right.
The fact that they’re kind of like turning the lens a little bit to an everyday runner like myself and encouraging people to get moving and focus on wellness has been an unbelievable experience. From, the second we started kind of talking, I could tell that they were just really motivated to do more for the world and that’s really important to me. I couldn’t be more excited about working with them and their team is super cool.
I ran the London Marathon in October and that was my first time running in Reebok, wearing the Floatride Energy 3’s. Heading into The New York Marathon, I’m super pumped to be rocking them again with my teammates.
What I really appreciate about them is they’re really showing some love to the everyday runner. And so if you look at our team of 60 runners running for the Release Recovery Foundation, no one’s going out to win this thing. It starts with one step, and that turned into two steps. And then all of a sudden, you kind of get to see where this thing can take you. And so the story behind running is also something that I’m so, so passionate about because I love humans, so each person on our team, and myself included, we have these stories.
E! What do you love about Reebok and the brand’s products?
ZC: This is my eighth marathon. I’ve tried every brand of sneakers. It’s a joke within the running community that once you find your shoe you’ll never let go of it and I believe that especially after the experience I had with Reebok when I ran London. I’ve been training in them and I’m just super pumped because they’re shoes for the everyday runner. The shoes are the perfect mix of performance and comfort.