Women's History Month Highlight: Black Girls RUN!

Black Girls RUN! Is a national organization with the mission to encourage Black women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. The group has local chapters across the country, with a strong presence in the Triangle. BGR caters to runners at all levels, providing support and resources to everyone from veteran runners to beginners ready to transition from walking to running. 

Black Girls RUN! was founded to address the glaring health disparities Black women face. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health and as reported on BGR's website:

• African-American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the U.S.
• About four out of five African American women are overweight or obese.
• In 2015, African Americans were 1.4 times as likely to be obese as non- Hispanic whites.
• In 2015, African American women were 60 percent more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white women.
• In 2011-2014, African American girls were 50% more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic white girls.

Through training programs, nutritional guidance, group runs with local chapters, national meetups, and an annual national conference, BGR provides members with a robust and comprehensive support network. BGR is free to join, with a philanthropic arm to support programming.

Eleanor Sykes, personal trainer, coach, and BGR Ambassador for the Raleigh community, attests to the group's impact:

"The goal of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage and motivate black women to practice a healthy lifestyle. We want to serve as a fitness resource for runners and gym rats alike, as well as provide tips and commentary on staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But we also want to start a movement to encourage ALL women to get off the couch and get active.

But What Black Girls RUN! has done for me is it has connected me with the sisterhood to encourage me, hold me accountable for my health, to keep me motivated and above all I have cultivated friendships and deep relationships with these women that I now call my sisters.

I LOVE BLACK GIRLS RUN!!"

You can connect with the Raleigh/Triangle community of BGR here!