AUDREY RUSSELL FINISHES well ahead of the pack
with her daughters, Nia and Imani, and they wait
in the parking lot of West Catholic. As the hard-
charging group led by Malachi and Huntington
comes into view, Kpou lopes alongside. A sprint
finish ensues; smiles and laughter follow.
Kpou plans to attend Community College of
Philadelphia this fall while he finds his way in
the burgeoning world of live video game enter-
tainment. He wants to become a Twitch streamer,
sharing his screen with viewers around the globe.
“I’m not much of a gamer, I’m more of a ‘just
chatter’ guy, talking about anything,” he says. “I
hope my personality is enough, because I suck at
video games. Honestly.”
As Kpou and the others stretch in the West
Catholic parking lot, waiting on the rest of the
group and cheering as they finish their 9 miles,
SRPS program director Lauren Kobylarz places a
New Balance shoebox at his feet. Inside is a pair
of bright blue Zante Pursuit trainers, an earned
reward for putting in the work.
With fresh shoes for Broad Street at his feet and
his longest run in the books, Kpou struts about the
parking lot with a relaxed swagger. Never mind
senioritis. “I got Broad Street,” he says, chewing
his way through a pack of Welch’s fruit snacks
and smiling.A
Clockwise from left: West
Catholic High School
senior Tutee Kpou near
mile 6 of the 10-mile
Broad Street Run. Kpou
finished his first-ever
10-miler in 1:45:43.
“I believe running can
help kids through life,”
mentor Jill Morris says.
“I don’t care how
fast they go.” | Mastery
Charter–Lenfest Campus
freshman Nia Mitchell
(left), her mother, Audrey
Russell (center), and her
twin sister, Imani Mitchell
(right), embrace after a
successful race. The trio
crossed the line within
seconds of one another,
finishing in 1:48:27.
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