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Peace Runners 773, a West Side health equity nonprofit, opened their Wellness Headquarters last week at 3563 W. 5th Ave. in Garfield Park. Credit: Michael Liptrot\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\nGARFIELD PARK \u2014 A West Side fitness organization has opened its first studio in Garfield Park, where it plans to host nutrition workshops and health programs tailored toward youths and older neighbors alike.<\/p>\n
Nonprofit Peace Runners 773 opened its Wellness Headquarters last month at 3563 W. Fifth Ave. in Garfield Park. Since 2020, the group has organized races, weekly runs and walks, youth and senior programs and community workouts. The new studio will house Peace Runners\u2019 nutrition workshops, mental health programs, classes for older people and youth strength training, co-founder Jackie Hoffman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you took away the \u2018run\u2019 from Peace Runners, we\u2019ll still be an asset to the community. From the mentorship, nutrition, mental health workshops \u2014 those pieces and elements of what we do are a community need,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cIf we\u2019re talking about holistic health and wellness, closing the life expectancy gap from a community-led approach, we have everything we need as a people to be able to make sure of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Members of Peace Runners 773 ran more than 75,000 miles across West Side neighborhoods last year through a mix of weekly runs and dedicated race training. More than 1,500 Peace Runners ran in 5Ks, about 200 completed half-marathons and 51 runners ran in the Chicago Marathon last year, in addition to other races.<\/p>\n
Youth and older runners are target demographics for the group\u2019s programs, Hoffman said. The group leads a Young At Heart program aimed at runners 55 and older, offering walks and fitness classes that will hosted at its new studio. Its youth programs includes a run club, yoga, nutrition classes and strength training that will be taught at the studio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want my young people to see the space and hear about the disparities. I want them to be educated about the life expectancy gap,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t change [the disparities], they are going to be the ones that spark that change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peace Runners 773, a West Side health equity nonprofit, opened their Wellness Headquarters last week at 3563 W. 5th Ave. in Garfield Park. Credit: Michael Liptrot\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n
![\"Peace](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_3442-1024x683.jpg\")
Peace Runners 773, a West Side health equity nonprofit, opened their Wellness Headquarters last week at 3563 W. 5th Ave. in Garfield Park. Credit: Michael Liptrot\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n
Hoffman, born and raised in Garfield Park, played college football at Bethune Cookman University in Florida and had a workout with the Chicago Bears before starting a career in law enforcement. <\/p>\n
In 2020, Hoffman\u2019s mother experienced medical conditions including cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure and required 13 medications. Hoffman said her doctors recommended she become more active, and he realized he needed to get more involved in helping his mother improve her health. This included challenging her to walk a mile a day.<\/p>\n
Hoffman said his mother lost 60 pounds and eventually no longer needed those medications. He said her success inspired him to found Peace Runners with his wife, Tiffany Hoffman, and friend Major Clay. The trio organized a 5K in 2020 that had 19 participants. Turnout for the 5K \u2014 now an annual event \u2014 grew to 565 last year, Jackie Hoffman said.<\/p>\n
Hoffman said the organization\u2019s name is derived from the peace and mental clarity achieved when running, and it represents the peaceful \u201csafety net\u201d the group creates when running throughout the West Side.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou create this space that\u2019s inviting for people to come outside their doors to actually say \u2018Yes, I\u2019m from the community. \u2026 I don\u2019t feel afraid about what the news says about the West Side,\u2019\u201d Hoffman said, describing the group as a third space for its members.<\/p>\n
![\"Peace](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/TSM00329-1024x683.jpg\")
Peace Runners 773, a West Side health equity nonprofit, opened their Wellness Headquarters last week at 3563 W. 5th Ave. in Garfield Park. Credit: Provided<\/p>\n
Hoffman said the Peace Runners aim to counter negative perceptions of the West Side with regular Saturday run sessions that send up to 100 runners from Garfield Park throughout the community. For Hoffman, opening a wellness studio is the next step toward establishing a promising foothold on the West Side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can reclaim a space within our community. That was huge for me, as a Black man,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cWhen you go to gas stations and there\u2019s nothing Black-owned or no Black spaces. \u2026 It\u2019s more than just the physical space. It\u2019s also the motivation, and it provides hope, that good feeling that something good is happening in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mattie Buckley, 64, is an Austin resident and a friend of Hoffman\u2019s mother. Buckley noticed on social media that Hoffman\u2019s mother was losing weight and reached out to ask how she was getting in shape. A two-time cancer survivor, Buckley said she struggled with her weight through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for years. She began walking with Hoffman\u2019s mother in 2021 and lost 50 pounds that year. By 2022, she completed her first 5K before training for a half-marathon, completing the 13.1-mile race in 2023.<\/p>\n
Buckley, who has competed four half-marathons, became a certified run coach and leads the Young At Heart group as program coordinator. She is training to complete her first full marathon. For anyone who may think they are too out of shape or it\u2019s too late to become active, Buckley said it\u2019s never too late for a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you cannot run, Peace Runners is still a place for them. It\u2019s a place to get as healthy as possible, and also to connect with other people who want to be healthy,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cI have plans. Even though I\u2019ve had cancer twice, I have plans to live a long time. \u2026 My goal is to not just live but to be as healthy as possible, keep learning and keep being able to do everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mattie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mattie-buckley-1024x682.png\")
Mattie Buckley completes a race with Peace Runners 773. Credit: Provided<\/p>\n