RUNNING CONVERSATION INCLUSIVITY ROUND TABLE
WHERE ARE WE ON OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS A MORE DIVERSE RUNNING WORLD? AND HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR SPORT EVER MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL?
TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AROUND INCREASING DIVERSITY IN UK RUNNING, WE BROUGHT TOGETHER SOME OF THE FIGURES WHO ARE DOING MOST TO DRIVE POSITIVE CHANGE. RW WAS JOINED BY TYLER WILLIAMS-GREEN, FOUNDER OF THE OUTRUNNERS; CHARLIE DARK, FOUNDER OF RUN DEM CREW; SABRINA PACE-HUMPHREYS, FOUNDER OF BLACK TRAIL RUNNERS; SAHRA-ISHA MUHAMMAD-JONES, FOUNDER OF ASRA RUNNING CLUB; AND ANDRE COGGINS, FOUNDER OF MAFIA MOVES, WHO SHARED THEIR UNIQUE AND FASCINATING INSIGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO REACH AN EVEN BETTER PLACE.
RUNNER’S WORLD Where do you think we are in terms of diversity in UK running today?
SABRINA PACE-HUMPHREYS ‘I think we’re in a better space than ever, because of the work from communities with some of their leaders around this table, but we still have a way to go. We’re in a great place, but let’s not become complacent.’
CHARLIE DARK ‘There are elements that are super positive. We’re seeing people who’d never have considered running before now welcoming it into their lives and becoming ambassadors and advocates for it. As Sabrina says, there’s still work to be done, but the needle has definitely shifted to a much better place than it was even two years ago.’
RW What has been key in driving that positive change?
CD ‘You can’t be what you can’t see. When you start seeing, not athletes, but just the guy from the kebab shop and the barber shop, people from your community, out there running, you think to yourself, “Well, if you’re doing it, I can do it.”
Also, I think people have come through over the past couple of years who are very good storytellers. They’re very good at documenting their journeys and putting it in social places and on social media, where it can inspire others to follow. The rise of the TikTok runner, the rise of the pandemic runner – all those things are really important when you’re trying to move the needle.’
TYLER WILLIAMS-GREEN ‘Definitely. We owe Charlie so much for showing people that running is so much more than just running – that it’s crew, it’s community. I think the idea of joining a crew, a community, has been a big factor in getting more people running, especially as we become more fragmented, and in a digital age when we’re losing human contact. Run Dem Crew has been the blueprint for lots of crews to change how people see themselves as runners.’
CD
