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In part 2 of the Blazing Trails series, The Start Line Girls are joined by Sabrina Pace-Humphries and Sonny Peart, co-founders of the trailblazing Black Trail Runners (BTR), on the day they celebrated the first anniversary of their launch. The group which was born in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movements of 2020, was formed to create a space for Black runners to experience the joys and challenges of trail running. BTR actively campaigns for an increase in representation, inclusivity and access to a sport where black people represent only 0.7% of trail race entrants, in a country where they are 4.5% of the population.
On 1 August 2021, Black Trail Runners together with Strava launch the 4.5 challenge, which asks participants to complete 4.5 hours of activity on Strava between 1-31 August, (it doesn't have to be trail running!), then donate a minimum of £4.50 to help more Black people to experience trail running.
Some more on the BTR founders:
Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is a 43 year old mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. Sabrina started running after the birth of her fourth child in 2009. She initially took up the sport as a way to lose 5 stones of weight gained through her pregnancy, and manage her mental health while living with post-natal depression. By self coaching over time she lost the weight but also found a passion for running and used it as a way to ‘reclaim herself’ while living with anxiety and depression. In her early running journey, Sabrina completed a variety of distances from 5K to marathon distance and has travelled the world via the love of her sport – completing New York, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Edinburgh and London Marathon to name but a few.
Sonny Peart took up running in 2012, since then he has completed a dozen marathons, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Brighton. Now a trail and ultrarunner, he completed the Centurion Running 50 mile Grand Slam in 2019, and the 100 mile Grand Slam in 2020/1. This year he became an ASICS Frontrunner. He co-founded Black Trail Runners in July 2020, aiming to increase the participation, inclusion and representation of black people in trail running. When not running or campaigning for diversity on the trails, he teaches at King’s College London, and enjoys watching Bielsa ball.
You can follow Black Trail Runners on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and sign up to their 4.5 Strava challenge. Don't forget to check out their website, which has all the info on their trail running taster sessions, as well as other races that they are attending!
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Theme music: Street Festival by Franco Eneiro. Used under licence.
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