AUSTIN, Texas – In the past week, a graphic video went viral of the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in Georgia, leading to a ripple effect of calls for justice.

Friday, May 8 would’ve been Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday, and runners around the country honored him by running 2.23 miles, representing the date of his death.

Using #IRunWithMaud, runners who participated showed their solidarity with his family, who is seeking justice for his death.

For one Texas man, running to honor Arbery felt personally significant.  

“I’ve been running almost 15 years now," said P.J. Thompson, who says that for him, running is more than just a hobby. “Among all the work and the craziness of life and adulting, running is that outlet, it’s solace. It's where I can kind of separate from responsibility, I guess, for a little while and also feel kind of powerful, moving in my own body.”

When he heard about the shooting of Arbery, and saw the graphic video of his death, it struck a very personal chord.

“I didn’t want to believe what I was watching had actually happened, and I mean, I was floored in that moment," said Thompson. "I felt like it’s so close to home because it’s something that provides me such an outlet and some form of an identity.”

He says it resonated with his identity as a runner, but also as a black man in this country.

“It caused me to think about, you know, how many instances that, maybe I've been in that same instance, where running through a neighborhood, you know, someone has, on their lawn while picking up the paper, looked out and maybe had the same thought of calling the police on me," said Thompson. "I’m like, 'Has that happened?' And the fact I even have to ask myself that question was just saddening in itself.”

Thompson says Arbery’s death is a reminder of why he thinks about race every day, for his own safety.

“Asking yourself, 'Am I being followed? Do I have a taillight out, do I belong in this neighborhood, are people looking at me as if I'm lingering too long in this store?' Asking those questions in 2020 or something, that's been stirred back up and it's hard to put those feelings back out of your mind when, unfortunately, this event continues to happen.”

Nonetheless, Thompson chooses to think positively, and on Friday, Thompson joined runners around the country in honoring Arbery.

“It was important to me to get out and not kind of be deterred by this one action that I felt like is… that is not reflective of the great city of Austin or this country. I wanted to make sure I still, you know, at its core, believe that it’s a small action, it’s not a large one. This doesn’t reflect who we are and I wanted to make sure I still got out and honored him," said Thompson.