‘We run these streets’: Midlo Mafia runner preps for first River City Half Marathon

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Fifty-eight-year-old Cassandra Jones has been with the Midlo Mafia run club for nearly a decade but, on Saturday, March 7, she will be running the River City Half Marathon for the first time.

“The rumor is that it’s very hilly but fun," she said. "We all say the hills are our friend so I’m ready to meet new hill friends.”

Jones has been training physically and mentally for the half marathon, something she says the Midlo Mafia group makes easier.

She has more than a decade of running under her belt. She first hit the pavement in 2012 when her company sponsored a 4-mile run. Then she started training for an 8K, and now she runs a marathon every other year. She even coaches people training for a 10K.  

But she says, during that time, she wanted a group to run with. She found the Midlo Mafia through word of mouth, joined the Facebook group, and started meeting with them around 2016. Their slogan is fitting: "We run these streets."

“It keeps you healthy," Jones said. "The doctor told me I was obese and I had diabetes, pre-diabetes. So running, lifting weights, all of this really keeps you healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.”  

But being active isn’t just for herself. She also has two grandchildren: 9-year-old Cameron and 8-year-old Sophia.

“It’s no sitting when they come to grandma’s house. They wanna go, they want me to chase them, hide and seek, singing and eating.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, Jones meets with about a dozen others for a 3-mile run. The community makes all the difference for Jones and group members Krista Smith and Kristin Harrelson.

“We do some really hard workouts and it’s nice to have people in, you know, suffering with you but also making the workouts easier. But I also think we’re a really good support group," Smith said.

“Met friends outside of just running which has been fantastic," Harrelson said.

For anyone wanting to get into running, Jones suggested to take it step by step.

“Just go at your own pace," she said. "Encourage yourself, and as long as you’re moving, you’re doing a great job.”

The River City Half Marathon and 5K is on Saturday, March 7.