If you picture the slender arms of a yogi or the egg carton abs of the gym hopper, then plus-size model Candice Huffine is set on challenging these ideas by proving a “runner’s body” can be any shape and any size. Every body can be a “runner’s body”.
Speaking to NYMag, the 32-year-old Vogue Italia cover girl shared her passion for fighting the restraints women put upon themselves when it comes to running.
“I think there are so many women who don’t get out the door in the first place because they say, ‘That’s not for me. I’m not a runner, I don’t have a runner’s body,'” she said.
“We limit ourselves before we ever even start. The same goes for the industry that I’ve been in for so long. ‘This is a model, this is what she looks like. These are the clothes and this is the size that you should be because this is the size that they are.’ It creates boxes to put people in.”
Huffine ran her first half-marathon in March and has completed another two since then. The dedication she devotes to training has spilled over into a desire to help other women achieve these goals too.
“We’re all going to look different and we’re all going to be at different levels for life. It’s not like ‘I’m a runner once I get to this speed or once I’ve gone this distance.’ I put on my shoes, I went outside and ran, and I feel confident that I am a runner,” she explained.
Huffine started a virtual running group that encourages women to take that first step by debunking some of the myths around the practice.
A series of videos was produced in collaboration with publication Project Start that follows five women as they talk about how they overcame the pain of starting out.
Women can become a part of her online community by joining the Project Start group on exercise apps such as Strava or by following their Instagram account @psyougotthis.
Huffine is set to appear on the cover of the November/December issue of Women’s Running.
Women’s Running Editor-in-chief Jessica Sebor told NYMag representing a variety of bodies is a central component of the publication.
“There’s this misconception that runners are just all skinny [with] long legs and that’s the only shape and size a runner can be,” Sebor said.
Want further motivation about for taking that first step? Listen below. Post continues after audio.
There’s never been a better time to start.