How the Black community is breaking into the sport of distance running

lower shot of runners legs in a race with different colors on pairs of shoes

Produced live at WGBH Studios in Boston, Basic Black is the longest-running program on public television focusing on the interests of people of color. The show, which was originally called Say Brother, was created in 1968 during the height of the civil rights movement as a response to the demand for public television programs reflecting the concerns of communities of color. Each episode features a panel discussion across geographic borders and generational lines with the most current stories, interviews and commentaries.

April 15, 2022

Updated August 28, 2023

Only a small margin of distance runners identify as Black. Despite the positive mental and physical health benefits of running, people of color are not often encouraged to join the sport.

Advocates and athletes in Greater Boston say Black people don't pursue running for a variety of reasons, including lack of support and concerns of safety. Four of these community advocates joined Basic Black to discuss these barriers, and how they are working to get more people of color interested in running.

"For Black people, it really boils down to the systemic racism in our society, and really where Black people can and can't go because of who they are," said Adrienne Benton, who serves on the Boston Athletic Association's board of governors and is a member of both the National Black Marathoners Association and Black Girls Run.

"If you can't go further than a mile outside of where you live because you're fearful that you won't be accepted in certain communities, then, basically, you're probably not going to run more than a mile," she said.

Ruben Sança, a 2012 Olympian and assistant athletics director for administration at UMass Lowell, said from a young age he was concerned about finding safe places where he could train for long-distance runs.

"A couple times I've been stopped by people just asking me what am I doing. I've been attacked on runs before," Sança said. "When you think about Boston ... we don't actually have enough space where we can bring in our people of color."

Benton and Sança agree that building bridges with local running clubs and expanding opportunities can help break down barriers and change the culture to encourage more people of color to enjoy distance running.

Sança is one person leading that charge in Boston.

"I started to [have] those conversations with the Boston Athletic Association and starting to really try to understand how we can increase participation, retention and growth of running and walking for Boston Public Schools students," said Sança, who is also co-chair for the Adult and Youth Running Cohort with the Boston Running Collaborative.

Thaddeus Miles, founder of Hood Fit, said he started running when he and his family were going through some struggles with their mental health and doctors recommended exercise as a solution.

"It really helped us to address a lot of those mental health issues, address some stress that we were dealing with, and be able to reduce some of those other health issues as high blood pressure and diabetes that we were struggling with at the same time," said Miles.

He and Dr. Charles Anderson worked together on the Road to Wellness program, a free community event that promotes physical activity regardless of fitness level.

Anderson, the president and CEO of the Dimock Community Health Center, said running is very meditative for him.

"We need to expose more young people to this sport and especially focusing on the cardiovascular benefits and the mental health benefits," he said. "Because once you start them with this early, you develop these habits when you're in your late teens and early twenties."

Watch: Running for health, wellness, fitness and Community

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