Black Girls Do Run UK is inspiring women of colour to lace up
Black Girls Do Run UK is inspiring women of
colour to lace up their running shoes
JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, Tasha Thompson was midway through a race when she asked a course marshal which way the route turned next. The attendant, seemingly oblivious to Thompson’s large, rectangular running bib asked, after a moment of silence, ‘Are you running the race?’
Speaking with her friend later, Thompson expressed her incredulity that the marshal had not believed she was racing. It remains unclear if the marshal asked the question because of Thompson’s ethnicity. But the reality for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women participating in sports such as running or swimming is that there are often few of them involved.
‘I started running because I liked it in school and because I enjoyed racing,’ says Thompson. ‘But the more I ran, the more I realised that I was often the only black woman in races, and that can start to feel a bit lonely.’
During a holiday to see her parents in Jamaica, Thompson discovered a US running community, Black Girls RUN!, which encourages black women to be active. Surprised by the lack of an equivalent group in the UK, Thompson decided to create her own community of runners, encouraging black women to embrace running. Soon after, Black Girls Do Run UK was born. The community has now created a network of over 60 women who support each other on their running journeys.
‘Initially, it was just an Instagram page where I was posting inspiring quotes and photos documenting my runs, encouraging other women to do the same with me,’ says Thompson. ‘But then I started receiving messages of people who felt inspired and wanted to keep in touch and so I created WhatsApp and Strava groups to chat about our runs, organise meetups and keep each other accountable.’
After running the Harrow Half Marathon in 2019 dressed in their branded T-shirts, Thompson and the group gained an even bigger following. ‘It felt great to be meeting up to run races together wearing the same T-shirts, and people started noticing us more,’ she explains.
Since then, the running group has taken part in many races, including the Fulham 10K and the Vitality 10K. But there’s one event Thompson holds dear: the Vitality Big Half, held last March.
‘That was a great moment for the group. There were eight of us running, some who hadn’t ever met before and some who were running their first half marathon, so it was a strong cocktail of emotions,’ she says. ‘But we stuck together, ran our races and waited for each other at the finish line to celebrate.’
Being a member of Black Girls Do Run UK is a bit like hanging out with a bunch of sisters, says Thompson. The atmosphere is electric and supportive.
‘Everybody is so friendly and loving. We run because it’s good for us and because we have fun together, which always makes the whole experience so carefree and cheerful.’