Black Trail Runners Seek Increased Representation & Inclusion

October 7, 2022 

October is Black History Month in the UK. Working to increase the visibility of Black people in outdoor sports is Black Trail Runners (BTR), a UK-based community and campaigning group that seeks to increase the inclusion, participation and representation of Black people in trail running. 

Data from Sport England show that adults from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are underrepresented across running, as well as cycling and swimming. “Based on the most recent census data, 4.5% of the UK population identifies as Black or Black mix, yet less than 0.7% of people who enter trail events are Black or Black mix,” said Black Trail Runners co-founder Sabrina Pace-Humphreys in an interview with Coach Mag. “There’s massive under-representation.” 

BTR was founded in July 2020 following the racially-motivated murder of Ahmaud Arbery - an avid runner - in the US in February 2020. In honour of Arbery and following an incident involving Pace-Humphreys where she was ignored by white male runners after being injured in a trail race, BTR was created as a safe space for Black and Brown runners. Now with a global membership of nearly 5000, BTR looks to diversify outdoor running and extend the physical and mental benefits to people of colour. 

“[BTR] was a place for people of colour to connect, to share the joy that they have in this sport but also to share that lived experience of what we’ve experienced out on the trails. Whether it’s horrendous experiences, such as what I had, or whether it’s microaggressions and how that affects our enjoyment of and our involvement in the sport,” said Pace-Humphreys. 

The charity notes that "invisible barriers to access mean that Black people miss out on enjoying our outdoor spaces such as National Parks and National Trails, and are effectively excluded from the joy of the natural environment and the many physical and mental health benefits that it brings." The group sets out to try and dissolve some of the geographic and economic barriers that stop many Black runners and Black people from taking up the sport. 

“It’s widely shown that on average Black people are poorer than white people in the UK and trail running is not the cheap, low-cost sport many people imagine it to be. Certainly, if you want to compete at the sharp end, it’s really expensive. In terms of geography, for historical reasons, Black people in the UK are overwhelmingly concentrated in urban areas, and trail running obviously takes place in rural areas. And it costs money and time to get to these places,” said Sonny Peart, co-founder of BTR. 

The charity focuses on three barriers to entry: access, skills and representation. In response to access barriers, BTR partner with multiple organisations and brands such as Outrunners and TrailFam to make it easier for people living in cities to experience rural running. To address skills and representation BTR uses funding to host taster sessions, help members travel to and enter races and enable black runners to gain instructor certification. 

Last month, in partnership with Strava – an internet service for tracking exercises – BTR planned to host its first mass-participation event called Black to the Trails, but it was postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The new date for the event is 14^th May 2023 and will be the “UK’s first trail running event designed, directed and run by BTR for Black people, Brown people and White allies” according to the charity.

BTR’s next trail taster events will take place tomorrow in the Peak District and 13^th November in Epping Forest. Later this month, the charity will be launching BTRxIRL social runs, where ‘run-leaders’ will lead social trail runs every month in and around three cities: London, Bristol and Birmingham.

Source: Coach Mag