An Inspired Chat with Kevin Perkins of Duluth

We recently had the chance to connect with Kevin Perkins and have shared our conversation below.

Kevin, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Peach State Running Club- we just reached our one year anniversary recently! I’m proud to see all the hard work people put in on a consistent basis. I’ve seen so many runners when they first started to where they are now reach a PR on their 5K and 10K times and it’s all due to their hard work and efforts. That brings a great joy to me. PSRC started back in August 2024 where we were only doing monthly runs and after some changes and pivots we kept those runs going but added in weekly runs at our favorite spot in Duluth- Good Word Brewing and even threw in Track Mondays at the local high school.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kevin Perkins and I started Peach State Running Club in August of 2024. We are a run club that runs out of Westside Park in West Midtown Atlanta but we also run weekly out of Duluth, GA. We are a collective of all run levels ranging from marathon runners, ultra runners and just starting to get into it. We meet on the first Sundays of the month at Westside Park but we also run every Wednesday night out of Good Word Brewing in downtown Duluth.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In recent years, I would say moments that have shaped me have been loss. Whether it’s a loss of a loved one or loss of friendships that have come and gone. Each has proved to be difficult but it’s also shown me sides of strength and resilience I didn’t know I had. It forced me to pivot and see through a different scope but also to keep living life and being more present.

I’ve learned to pivot and find outlets to pour energy into aside from my corporate finance job. From a physical POV- tennis and running have always been that. It’s just dope that I can share that same passion with other crazy runners now too. But moving in general has always brought me clarity and a level of free that I’m thankful I get to do.

From a creative perspective, I have my tennis streetwear brand called, Düs, pronounced “Deuce” – this has been a fun and unexpected side quest of life that I’ve been proud of and I’m thankful for the people I’ve met through this space. It provides the best of both worlds for me being able to tap into Tennis, which has been a big part of my life and running, which is something I very much enjoy.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
For sure, the run club had a big pivot after our 4th month. The decision to keep it going or to just drop out and run solo. I decided to keep it going for a few months and within 2 weeks- things picked up. I had some good and positive influence and then that’s when growth occurred and we found our footing in downtown Duluth. Our weekly runs began at Good Word Brewing the third week of February and we’ve developed a good footprint and home base in this community as well. We really enjoy the people that come and run with us as well as the GWB staff that is always so accommodating to our club.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say so- what you see is what you get. I’m pretty shy and reserved at first. Always been fine playing the background but I still want to see others win and if I can help them in any capacity along their journey then I’m thankful to be a part of that. I like to think I lead by my actions first then my words second since I don’t always say much.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That he always helped to build authentic community and see others for who they were and that he was encouraging to the people around him.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevotano?igsh=djhxcnJzOG1zdjJ4&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-perkins-mba-19431286?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Other: Run club: https://www.instagram.com/peachstate.runclub?igsh=MTlmYThrcG1pZWxjbA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

  Tennis brand:
  https://www.instagram.com/dus.tennis?igsh=MW8zdzU3ZmQwNXk5bA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr