A Runner’s Path to Brooks

Brooks running club member finds community and purpose on the South Side

“When I first came to San Antonio, I was not a runner. I couldn’t run more than a mile,” said Kim Dea, South Side resident and member of the Brooks City Running.

Now, she has run eight marathons and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Kim was never a runner and didn’t do sports growing up. It wasn’t until she started volunteering with San Antonio’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, where she saw people of all body types competing — including a pregnant woman and a man with a prosthetic leg — when she had her epiphany: anyone can be a runner.

This realization jump started her journey and led her to Brooks City Running. The club meets twice a week and runs from Hangar 9 to The Greenline. Runners of all ages and levels get together to enjoy the outdoors and earn some endorphins while taking in some of the most picturesque spots at Brooks.

Kim was first introduced to Brooks when her dad worked as a military contractor at the former Brooks Air Force Base. Over the past 10 years, she’s seen the drastic evolution that Brooks has gone through.

“It’s just exploded,” she said. “There’s so much to do now.”

Whether she’s walking her dog, a Corgi mix named Pepper, catching a movie at City Base Cinema, shopping at the nearby shops like Target, or grabbing a bite at one of the local restaurants on the South Side, Kim sometimes can’t believe how much things have changed.

“My favorite part of Brooks is The Greenline. It’s really nice and well thought out,” she said.

When she’s not enjoying the amenities life on San Antonio’s South Side has to offer, she’s at work as a music therapist at the San Antonio State Hospital, where she works with psychiatric patients to help them with coping skills.

“It’s more than just listening to music,” she said. “We also write music, listen to lyrics, and play instruments. Music is very therapeutic.”

Before joining Brooks City Running and finding her job on the South Side, Kim had to travel to other parts of the city to follow her passions. Now, everything she needs is right here on the South Side.