If you picture the slender arms of a yogi or the egg carton abs of the gym hopper, then plus-size model Candice Huffine is set on challenging these ideas by proving a “runner’s body” can be any shape and any size. Every body can be a “runner’s body”.
Speaking to NYMag, the 32-year-old Vogue Italia cover girl shared her passion for fighting the restraints women put upon themselves when it comes to running.
“I think there are so many women who don’t get out the door in the first place because they say, ‘That’s not for me. I’m not a runner, I don’t have a runner’s body,'” she said.
“We limit ourselves before we ever even start. The same goes for the industry that I’ve been in for so long. ‘This is a model, this is what she looks like. These are the clothes and this is the size that you should be because this is the size that they are.’ It creates boxes to put people in.”
Huffine ran her first half-marathon in March and has completed another two since then. The dedication she devotes to training has spilled over into a desire to help other women achieve these goals too.
“We’re all going to look different and we’re all going to be at different levels for life. It’s not like ‘I’m a runner once I get to this speed or once I’ve gone this distance.’ I put on my shoes, I went outside and ran, and I feel confident that I am a runner,” she explained.
