Together in Stride

Finding our momentum is what connects, makes us human and is how we move forward together. Six international runners, who each have a unique relationship with running, were recently put through their paces on South Korea’s Jeju Island. United by a shared passion for connection and movement, we heard from artist Ziggy Ramo, yoga teacher and lululemon Ambassador, Ryan Mannix, and distance runner and lululemon Ambassador, Jess Stenson.

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Jess Stenson

Distance runner, physiotherapist and lululemon Ambassador

lululemon: Tell us about yourself?

Jess: These days I would say I'm a mum first and a long-distance runner who particularly loves the marathon. I love nature and the outdoors, have strong family values and just love being around people and nurturing relationships. My goal for as long as I can remember has been to explore my potential, try to bring out the best in people around me and make the world a better place.

lululemon: How do you express yourself?

Jess: These days I would say I'm a mum first and a long-distance runner who particularly loves the marathon. I love nature and the outdoors, have strong family values and just love being around people and nurturing relationships. My goal for as long as I can remember has been to explore my potential, try to bring out the best in people around me and make the world a better place.

lululemon: How does running connect you with others?

Jess: Running connects me to others in a number of ways. I grew up playing a lot of team sports and when I made the decision at the age of 21 to focus on running, I was quite apprehensive because I thought I was going into a very individual sport. At the same time, I loved the flexibility and the new opportunities that running offered. It was something that I could choose to do on my own or with others, but I've found it to be a powerful team sport in its own right and one that introduces you to a lot of fascinating people.

I feel a really strong sense of community and belonging with my coach and my teammates. When you spend so much time together, naturally you see the peaks and troughs of the sport – and supporting each other through that builds a really deep connection. We know what it is like to be at that point in a race where all you want to do is stop, you're so uncomfortable. Every cell in your body is saying, what are you doing? And you have to find a way to dig deep mentally to push yourself to the finish line. I think that mutual understanding and deep connection unites the running community.

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Ryan Mannix

Yoga teacher, runner and lululemon Ambassador

lululemon: Tell us about yourself?

Ryan: My name is Ryan Mannix, I live down on the surf coast of Victoria and I’m a yoga teacher, runner and dad. I love to be outside, surfing, running and getting close to nature.

lululemon: How do you express yourself?

Ryan: I definitely feel like I express myself through movement – surfing and running are a huge part of my life. I also practice yoga and meditation daily, and I feel like these are practices that really talk to me and how I express myself in the world. How I talk to others, how I talk to myself, what I choose to consume – that lens of meditation really guides how I show up each day.

lululemon: How does running connect you with others?

Ryan: One of my earliest memories of running is when I was really young and I would get up with my dad and ride my bike with his running group. It was a really nice opportunity to see how a crew can come together and do something that is healthy and positive, but at the same time can be really social.

So running and being part of a crew has been a big part of my life since day dot. I love the community aspect of running and how people come together to champion one another and celebrate each other's successes. Running is less about competition and more about coming together and recognising we all run for different reasons – whether it’s winning a gold medal or just putting one foot in front of the other.

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Ziggy Ramo

Artist

lululemon: Tell us about yourself?

Ziggy: My name is Ziggy Ramo and I make art. I love working across different mediums and am fascinated with how the same idea explored in different art forms can make people feel so differently. For me, it is all about communicating and expressing ideas.

lululemon: How do you express yourself?

Ziggy: Art has been such a safe space for me. I don’t always feel safe or like I can be myself when I walk outside my house because there are preconceived ideas of who I’m supposed to be or what I’m supposed to stand for. Whereas within art, I can be authentically me, the author of my own story - being able to express myself authentically through my art is the ultimate freedom. Whether it’s making music, writing a book, acting or composing scores – I feel like I get to show different parts of myself in each of these practices.

lululemon: How does running connect you with others?

Ziggy: I think movement and in particular, running is such instinctive human behaviour. We all come from different cultures, experiences, backgrounds, but running is a common tangible experience, and a unifying task we can seek our teeth into.

I come from the oldest continuing culture in the world and we have been tethered to country and nature for more than 50,000 years. There is something so innately grounding being out in the elements running with other humans. You hear the chirp of a bird, the wind in the trees and start to be really centred in the fact that there has been a world before you, and will be a world after you – so what can you do while you’re here?

For me, I’m focused on putting one foot in front of the other and just doing my best.