When you think of a guy in a marathon, you don’t usually think of him crocheting. Until now.
David Babcock is known as The Knitting Runner. Last year, he ran and knitted in the New York City Marathon. This year, he is running and crocheting in the New York City Marathon. Babcock, a professor of graphic design at the University of Central Missouri, began running to improve his health and figured out how to use his running time for something creative. He raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research in honor of Susie Hewer, from whom he took the World Record of “Longest Scarf Knitted in a Marathon”. And he challenges the stereotype that yarn crafts are “woman stuff”.
This year, we revisit David to see what’s changed, why he is crocheting flowers while he runs, and why the fight to end Alzheimer’s continues to be important to him.
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Finger-crocheting flowers while running is a new feat this year. What sparked this (some might call it wild) idea?
The Alzheimer’s Association has a flower tradition as part of their “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” events. They give all of the participants a pinwheel flower with colors based on their relationship to someone who has Alzheimer’s. At a special moment in the event you hold up the flower in memory of your connection and those that we have lost. It is a very somber moment and helps us to visualize the loss with a prettier and happier field of flowers. So my flowers will be Alzheimer’s flowers. I hope that this will help people remember how devastating this disease is and that they can do something to help.
New York City is an awesome place to run a marathon. I loved being there last year. The spectators and support are amazing. The only drawback for a knitter-runner is that they don’t allow tools. So once again I’ll be doing yarn arts without tools. This year I’ll be doing crochet with my fingers.
Any new insights gained in the last year since you completed the 2014 marathon with that amazing finger-knitted I’ll Remember For You scarf?
It was great to re-read the article from last year. I don’t know that much has changed in the past year. I am still comfortable with putting myself in an awkward place with gender, stereotypes, and crafting communities. There are so many places to fit in and not fit in at the same time. Can you imagine someone pulling a runner out of the NYC marathon and telling them, ‘Hey, you don’t belong here!’. Deep in my soul I kind of feel like that could happen to me, but of course it doesn’t. I think we all have an internal struggle with identity and community.
After I did a presentation at a local knitting guild someone wrote that I was, “a very nice, sweet and funny man“. My wife and I laughed about that for quite a while. I am very willing to let people see me cry while I relate stories that people have shared about their family experiences with Alzheimer’s. I am who I need to be. Social media is difficult for me. I love the comedy video that someone put out recently about the ‘woman who runs a marathon without talking about it‘. I don’t have a personal drive to say, ‘Hey, look at me’. I’m only doing this to help connect people with Alzheimer’s support. It really does take a constant voice to keep people engaged and working towards solutions. For now, thanks to Lion Brand and strong crafting and running communities I can be that voice.
What has changed in your running-and-knitting life that is making this year’s marathon different from last year’s?
I love changes, I need to keep changing things to keep myself interested. Every marathon has been different. Two weeks ago in Kansas City I ran the marathon while making a large lacy white doily with a crochet hook. Again in the NYC marathon this year I can’t bring any tools so I will be making crochet flowers with just my fingers. Every event has its challenges and hopefully some new excitement. This year I’m steering things toward a decidedly more stereotype-bending spectacle. When I personally think of doilies my grandmother comes to mind. It makes such a great visual to see that big white lacy thing being worked by a nice, sweet, funny, and cute little running man. I’m going to sew some smaller versions of my crochet flowers onto my running singlet for the NYC race. All the ladies are going to be so jealous of my pretty bling. I love running in Alzheimer’s purple. All this and somehow I don’t feel any less manly.
People are still fascinated by other people making things with sticks and string. As time passes, are you finding people’s reactions to a guy knitting or crocheting changing? Does the item that you are making matter?
I don’t know that I am very approachable by default, online and social media are great in that regard. I can be that friendly knitting guy online. In public I’m more likely to be that kind of person who gets grumpy when you ask about the book I’m reading. It’s one thing to tell the guys that I’m making a hat or toys for my kids. It is kind of different to tell them that I’m making a doily or some flowers. It is just so foreign to their experience. I don’t think that they would envy my skills there. It is good to do crafts in public to help people want to do them and try it out. Seeing people with string awakens a primal instinct to make stuff. I think it is important to let people see what you are doing in the service of others and thereby include them. Every person who likes my post or retweets it becomes a participant in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. When you cheer for someone in the marathon your heart races with them.
To donate to the Alzheimer’s Association as part of the Athletes to End Alzheimer’s (2015 New York City Marathon for the Alzheimer’s Association), click here.
You can find David online at donotstaple.com, on Instagram @donotstaple, and on youtube at Do Not Staple.
All photos courtesy of the author and used by permission with exception of the Alzheimer’s Flowers photo, credit to wpri.org.
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On being a man who knits:
Getting a man into the world of yarn-crafting can be a challenge. This is the language of stereotypes, but I’m using then here as a starting point, not in support of them or as a belief in their sanctity. Guys love utility. A man who knows how to tie knots is a “true” man. At a scouting events I have taught many boys and men how to do paracord bracelets and boondoggle with paracord. They are very proud of what they have made. I have done finger knitting with rope and been asked, ‘What kind of a knot is that?’. In knot-making a sennet is a way of knotting rope into a braid that can easily be pulled out again for use, essentially what happens in knitting and crochet. One friend’s wife encouraged him to ask me to teach him how to crochet. At first he asked about net-making, presumably because net-making is definitely manly. But making useful bags for your gear is a skill every guy can use. And if all else fails tell your man you’ll wear any knit or crochet lingerie that he manages to make for you.
On community:
I believe strongly in community and I love both running and crafting because they are supportive communities where people are accepted and encouraged without regards to their skill level. I think that everyone needs something different out a community. I don’t think that I need to talk a lot with people and show what I have done. I think that I enjoy the context and seeing if what I am doing is relevant and creative.
The community that develops in-race is one of my favorites. It is a given that everyone there is instantly bonded by the experience. Social barriers and embarrassment disappear. You know you are running at a good pace when you can carry on a conversation with a fellow runner. My knitting while running gives people an extra excuse to chat. I love how they feel included in my efforts because they are running in the same race. Runners around me become my advocate for anyone, including spectators, who might not notice what I am doing. They also try to help by warning me about potholes in the road. I think it is a great sign that almost without exception the attention that I get while knitting and running is centered around the fact that I am knitting while running instead of that I am a man who is knitting.
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On the cause – Alzheimer’s Awareness and Fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research:
Whenever I get attention for my knitting while running I try to remind people about the Alzheimer’s connection. The original record holder for “the longest scarf knit whilst running a marathon”, Susie Hewer, did it specifically for fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Knowing that I was planning on breaking her record I didn’t want to take away from that great cause. By uniting with Alzheimer’s charities I have really gained a lot personally. The New York City Athletes to end Alzheimer’s group is wonderful. I’ll be running NYC with their group of 120 or so runners.
I think it really makes a difference in my attitude about the run when it is not just about me. One of my favorite things that I have done, with Lion Brand Yarn Company’s help, is a blog post where people affected by Alzheimer’s shared their stories about their loved ones in exchange for the opportunity to receive one of my scarves that I have finger-knit while running in training. The stories I received are amazing. I have printed them out, really small, and will literally run with them on my person during the marathon. I’ll be running hard for them.
The media attention is certainly not about me. I’d much rather be anonymous, but if there is an opportunity to help with Alzheimer’s then it is worth it to get in front of a microphone or a camera. I don’t have personal goals that would keep me out there knitting and running publicly. Being able to run the NYC marathon is the culmination of any aspiration I have because it is the first marathon I ever watched and that motivated me to try a race. If there is still an interest in my running for the sake of fundraising then I will do it as long as my body permits it.
I am still not an expert at fundraising or media. I know that a lot of people find my story funny or interesting, it makes a good media sound bite to wake people up. I wish I had a dollar raised for every like and retweet. I believe that people do really care about Alzheimer’s disease. It is one of those things that is going to affect everyone one way or another. I think that part of my job is just to remind people that they care.
I hope that people will also find empowerment in my efforts. I’d love to see more people supporting charities while doing things that they love. I hope to see more people willing to do bold things despite the fear of embarrassment or failure. What I am doing is unusual and it only comes by way of curiosity, creativity, and a lot of failed experiments. But it is so good to fail. It is good to try something new and be really bad at it for a while. I will always be an educator because I love to see people step into that scary area and find out what is possible. I feel great when I can be their guide, their coach, their community as they learn.
I am very thankful for the support and welcome that the yarn and craft community has given me. I am so excited to run in NYC and feel the encouragement of so many people that turn out for the race both as spectators and runners.
Find David Babcock online at Knitting Runner and DoNotStaple.
Alzheimer’s Association Website
Photos courtesy of author and used with permission.