Meet our Customers: Black Girls Do Run UK
In the first of a series of interviews with our customers, this month we introduce you to Black Girls Do Run UK:
In the bustling city of London, a powerful movement has taken root, empowering black women to conquer the roads and soar to new heights. Founded in March 2019 by the indomitable Tasha Thompson, Black Girls Do Run UK emerged with a mission to inspire, encourage, and motivate regular black women to embrace the transformative power of running. Driven by the desire to shatter barriers and bring diversity to the running community, Tasha’s vision blossomed into a close-knit running family that celebrates camaraderie, consistency, and collective achievement.
Tell us a little about the history and mission of your running club?
Black Girls Do Run UK was founded in March 2019 by Tasha Thompson. It was created to inspire, encourage and motivate regular black women to run. The community refer to themselves as a running family.
The group was founded based on Tasha’s experiences throughout her years of running and noticing that there was a lack of diversity in races and running in general, so she decided to try and do something about it. The initial aim of the group was to increase visibility of regular black women running and to meet up at races. It has since grown into an amazing community that Tasha and all involved are incredibly proud of.
What kind of people typically join your running club, and what are their goals and motivations?
Black women wanting to start their running journey, or who are already running but want to be part of a community for camaraderie, motivation and friendship.
How does your running club support and encourage members who are new to running or who may not have much experience?
We encourage new members to take up initiatives such as couch to 5k, to check out their local parkrun with a huge emphasis on the importance of consistency.
What kind of training programs or coaching services does your running club offer, and how do these benefit members?
We don’t offer coaching services yet. Tasha is part way through the England Athletic Coaching in Running Fitness Course. We encourage our members to use training apps such as Bullet Proof Athletic, Coopah and Runna or use one of the training plans offered by race providers or in women’s running or runners world publications.
What kinds of activities and events does your running club organise, and how do these contribute to the club’s sense of community?
We host monthly social group runs in different parks in London. We launched our first weekly run in North West London in January and it has been hugely popular.
Can you share any success stories of members who have achieved their fitness or running goals with the help of your running club?
We have an amazing woman whose first race was an half marathon in 2021 and she has now gone onto run a marathon, an ultra marathon and is taking on her first triathlon in a few weeks’ time. We’ve had lots of women over the past couple of years take on a marathon who never thought they would ever run this distance.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in starting their own community running club?
My advice would be start where you are, use what you have and ask for help.
Finally, what do you see as the future of your running club, and how do you plan to continue growing and evolving to meet the needs of your members?
I see a bright future for Black Girls Do Run UK, we want to continue what we are doing and launch groups in other areas of London and eventually other UK cities.
As the sun rises over the London skyline, the future of Black Girls Do Run UK shines brighter than ever. Their commitment to nurturing a vibrant community of black women runners, fostering friendships, and encouraging personal growth continues to gather momentum. With the vision of expanding their footprint to other areas of London and eventually across the UK, Black Girls Do Run UK stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration. Guided by the mantra of starting where they are, using what they have, and embracing the strength of unity, this remarkable running family looks forward to a journey of boundless achievements and relentless determination, proving that when black girls run together, the possibilities are limitless.
