RIA Member – Black Girls Do Run UK
Black Girls Do Run UK is an England Athletics affiliated running group founded by Tasha Thompson in 2019 and run by a small team of dedicated volunteers.
Tasha had long noticed the lack of Black women on start lines. After an awkward experience in which a race marshal questioned whether she and her running partner, Linda, were actually taking part in a race, coupled with her own lived experiences in running, she felt driven to make a difference. Alongside Linda, and shaped by their shared experiences, she set out to increase the visibility of non-elite Black women in the sport and encourage more Black women to take up running by creating an Instagram account, because you cannot be what you cannot see.
Black Girls Do Run UK began as an online community, but its profile and momentum grew significantly following the murder of George Floyd. As participation in running increased during lockdown, the community grew too. After lockdown, Black Girls Do Run UK began hosting monthly social runs in different locations, attending races as a group and sharing the joy of running together. The community has since been featured in Women’s Running, Runner’s World and Good Housekeeping, as well as on television and radio.
Today, Black Girls Do Run UK is a community of women who champion and support one another through running and beyond. Together, members have achieved milestones and completed races they may never have attempted without the encouragement and support of the community.
Its mottos are “no one is left behind” and “live, love, laugh and run”, reflecting the way the community shares both the love and the joy of running.