Better Together
Legacy of Hope is proud to sponsor Wynnefield Track Club (WTC) co-founders, Freddy Mahugu and Felisha Harris, for the 2022 Love Run Half Marathon. Wynnefield is likely the hardest working run club in Philly. This friendly multinational crew hits the pavement every day at 5:30am, except Saturday—when they afford themselves the luxury of “sleeping in” for a 6am start time. Weekday runs usually have six to ten core members, with as many as 15 or 20 for long runs on Saturdays. But don’t let their dedication intimidate you. “We’re very much runners at all levels, from all walks of life…” emphasizes Mahugu “...you really see this on long-run Saturdays. It’s legitimately all faces, all paces. Even when we do our structured workouts on the track, you can learn new things in a fun environment.”
Wynnefield Track Club was established in 2020 after two groups in the Philly running community coalesced into a larger group at the suggestion of Mahugu. Harris elaborates a bit more on the history: “the group I was running with, we called ourselves Team UN, because we had people from all over the world— Kenya and Nigeria, Jamaica, Philippines, England, Vietnam, Cameroon—and I was the only person from the United States.” The other group had members from New Freedom Striders who have been running together in Philly for 30+ years. So the history goes deep with this crew.
The club’s motto Better Together, evolved from the idea of strength through unity. “We’re a community/family supporting each other on our journey to improve fitness and have a healthy lifestyle.” explains Mahugu. A perfect example of living their motto is when several WTC teammates traveled to NYC last November to surprise Mahugu, cheering him on, at mile 23 of the NY Marathon. Another example is Mahugu's Plant-Based Monday initiative to help more people start living a healthy lifestyle, beginning with a commitment to one plant-based meal a week. (Check the link above for more details.)