By Maurice Lawman
Hi everyone! My name is Maurice, aka the Marathon Panda. I use running and my role in the local running community to help fuel my sobriety and spread the message of positivity, hope, and recovery. My story is one of overcoming many obstacles in life, including drug addiction, homelessness, and incarceration. As a youth, I played organized sports: little league baseball, CYO Basketball, and Pop Warner football; I enormously enjoyed all of these but just never excelled at any of them, so when my grandmother (Nana) used to tell me I would be a runner with my strong legs, I never quite grasped it.
After graduating high school and then a computer tech program, my progress as a young adult in life was always hindered by drug and alcohol abuse. Running was my go to exercise when looking for a positive outlet or activity, either in place of the partying or to try to make myself feel better after too much partying. There was never any consistency in my activities. After battling addiction off and on for 10+ years, I finally got serious about my health and my sobriety with the help of running.
In 2008 or so, I started with just 20 minutes per day, which turned to 30, then eventually 40, and so on. The burning legs and burning lungs, the immediate desire to beat my previous time or distance goal was exhilarating to me. The simple activity of running gave me a new natural high, and this helped me stay on track for the next few years. I knew nothing and was very naive to everything in the running world, from the significance and history of world major marathons to track and field events, but I told myself that I wanted to run a marathon.
“The simple activity of running gave me a new natural high, and this helped me stay on track for the next few years.”
Fast forward to 2012 and 2013, and, unfortunately, a relapse with alcohol and hardcore substances landed me in prison for nine months. I knew I needed a new life, a new routine, something to keep me away from getting sucked back into street life and drug addiction. I ran every day, and the days they didn't let us outside, I ran in place in my cell. My girlfriend, Luisa, knowing how badly I desired to participate in some sort of organized run event, signed me up for the Colt State Park Half Marathon in Bristol, Rhode Island, in November 2013. I was released the weekend prior and showed up to the race in a pair of Brooks running sneakers from the clearance rack of a local department store. I ran the 13.1 miles cheering for all the other participants, enjoying the beautiful crispy day, and after the race, being on a natural high from the community aspect of this event. I even saw a familiar face from one of my recovery groups running his first half marathon. A young woman showed me how to look up my time on the screen they had and screamed, "1:44! You CRUSHED IT!" She gave me a high five, and I was elated from the kudos, from the encouragement, and from the finish line adrenaline high. I said to myself, "Where has this feeling been? I don't need drugs or alcohol. I NEED MORE OF THIS!" From this moment on, I signed up for any half marathon that I could afford to register for and travel to and eventually a marathon the following year. I completed four marathons within six weeks to get things started! I told you, I was hooked! I found the online community, I read magazines and books, I asked questions. I wanted to know everything. I embraced the role of cheerleader at all of these local events, literally screaming out chants of positivity and gratitude, as well as encouragement for everyone participating: high fives and positive vibes.
Remember the Nana that used to tell me I would be a runner? That same Nana gave me a panda bear stuffed animal that I was attached to since I was a toddler. It made all the sense in the world to call myself The Panda, being half black (African American) and half white (Irish and Italian) in ethnicity. I took the idea of calling myself The Panda and started running with it. Within two years of consistency within the community, I received my first charity invite to the 2017 Boston Marathon. I have since completed the 2017 and 2018 Boston Marathons as a member of Team Technology for Autism Now, raising funds and awareness for this awesome nonprofit; the 2018 and 2019 New York City Marathon as part of the team for Elixir Fund, raising funds and awareness for cancer patients and their caregivers; and, most recently, I joined Team Rett with Rett Syndrome Association of Massachusetts, and had a successful fundraising campaign for the virtual 2020 Boston Marathon in April and September.
The highlight of my running story is a few years back. After completing four marathons in four weeks, my path crossed with Coach Lori Mitchener who has been a mentor, friend, coach, and just straight up awesome woman ever since. She offered coaching and guidance with specific plans and, more importantly, helped me mature and develop more respect for this sport, community, and the opportunities it presents us. I am proud to say I am coached by Lori, a former IRONMAN and current 100 mile boss! I am also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to give back through charity running.
On 1/1/2016, I started tracking my outside runs (run streak) using the attitude of "THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING ME, I AM GRATEFUL TO BE HERE, AND I REALLY MEAN IT." I mean these words so much that I run outside every day no matter what, so I can yap about my gratitude. I am fortunate to have been mostly injury free and am learning more about strength, mobility, and injury prevention. Another highlight is running across the state of Rhode Island during the Run2Respond Relay, with a total of 58 miles in 16 hours, including many stops and rest periods. I like to use the phrase "ULTRAPANDA LOADING'' and have since completed a couple of solo 50K plus runs. The discipline and accountability of the streak flow over to other areas of my life, and I am continually grateful for a community that is the foundation of my sobriety and new walk in life.
One of the attitudes I keep on display is that of "I am not the fastest, I am not the strongest, and dang sure I have not been doing this the longest, but GRATEFUL TO BE HERE is the name of the song."
One time I messaged a runner, Nick, who I admire, saying congratulations on his Boston finish. He was top 40, and I joked around, saying he only beat me by approximately 30,000 runners. He stated, "We all ran the same distance in the same weather." Simple but puts it into perspective. We are all out there. My joy and gratitude for being included in a community that literally saved my life will always be on display.
About the Author
Maurice Lowman lives in East Providence, Rhode Island. You can find Maurice with his passion for automobiles and people on display at Kia of Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he is an automotive sales consultant for Priority Automotive Group and is a Kia specialist. Maurice is vocal and visible in the recovery community, staying involved in groups such as the East Providence Prevention Coalition. He has had a few (of which he hopes to be many) opportunities to speak to middle and high school students about the dangers of addiction, his own story of lost potential, and eventually overcoming his struggles through positive outlets such as running. Maurice is preparing for marathon number 29 in Newport, Rhode Island in April (32 if you count virtual ones) and will tell anyone who listens how running keeps him sober. He has a consecutive outside run streak of over five years.
