I’m here at the Damen Street Blue line stop with a growing crowd. We’re all waiting to run with Joabe Barbosa. He’s a Roosevelt doctoral student trying to run every street in Chicago — and he’s amassed a legion of fans who run alongside him or cheer from their stoops. By the time I caught up with him a few weeks ago, he had already run 85% of the city, over 2000 streets.
Barbosa’s first goal was to be the fastest person to visit all 146 CTA stops in Chicago, a feat that earned him a Guinness world record last year. With that journey checked off the list, Barbosa needed a new mission.
He was already a runner. After a major mountain injury, doctors told him he needed to find ways of regaining strength, so he hit the lakefront trail — but quickly got bored.
JOABE BARBOSA: I’m just doing the same thing over and over and I’m like, let me go to different neighborhoods
He was curious how much of the city one person had managed to cover — a quick search showed the top person had run half the city’s streets. To some, this would be an impressive figure. To Barbosa, it was a challenge.
BARBOSA: :I’m like, let me try and beat him.
These days, he runs up to 120 miles a week. Now that he’s claimed top place, he says his goal is to show that Chicago’s neighborhoods are more than their stereotypes. Often, when people hear he’s running every street in the city, they immediately jump to warnings:
BARBOSA: I shouldn’t dare to go to the south side, to the west side, to these different places in Chicago. So, yeah, but I’d be showcasing online how safe people, like areas in Chicago can be.
So far, he’s felt safe on every street. And running every street gives him a chance at seeing the places and people that make up Chicago — especially those he wouldn’t have encountered otherwise.
BARBOSA: I’ve met people who have run with me who have left prison. Like, I ran with someone who left prison the week before and he’s like, he saw my videos. He wants to run and tell his story.
These runs are creating a community, with over 43 thousand followers on Instagram alone and a new addition of open group runs every Sunday — and Barbosa says it’s not over at 100%. He has his shoes pointed at the parks of Chicago, and then other cities, like LA and New York.
For WNUR News, I’m Savannah Bond
