Taking the Long Road • editorial
Not Sponsored is a personal project documenting amateur sports athletes through photography and sound. The work is ongoing and seeks to build an archive of inspiring and authentic stories that capture the essence of competition, community, and resilience found within each athlete. It is about finding limits, breaking them, and reframing beliefs in what can be achieved.
words by Howie Proctor
Running makes me feel alive.
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In a world of screens and rules, running is primal freedom, a feeling of exhilaration within your own body. Beneath the rhythm and distraction of physical exertion, problems solve themselves, goals are set, emotions are explored and ideas are generated. It’s my therapy.
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Solo running can be lonely. I’m constantly overwhelmed and inspired by the positivity in the community. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to use this sport as a way to make friends and feel at home in this big city.
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I love the way that running brings out the best in people. We all support each other in our personal training goals against ourselves.
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I’ll never be a pro, and that’s OK, but it’s more than just a hobby: running is my passion and my identity. Before I get too old or have too many responsibilities, I want to test my physical ceiling. The busy urban jungle of New York doesn’t, at first, seem like a great location for running, but there’s an energy and culture here that can inspire the will to achieve greatness, demanding of us just resilience, humility and unwavering commitment in return.