TAMPA, Fla. — The Gasparilla Distance Classic will be the national meet-up for the Black Girls RUN! Tampa (BGR!) club.
Sisters, friends and community.
Those are the foundations of BGR!, a national running club that encourages African-American women to prioritize healthy living by pounding the pavement.
The BGR! Tampa Bay chapter has more than 4,000 members.
“I worked Monday through Friday, just tired,” Ijeoma Nwahiri said. “I’ll get on Facebook and see that someone from in the morning or late at night has already done however-many-miles. I’m like, ‘If they can do it, I can do it, too.’”
There are no requirements. Simply sign up online to find a meet-up, show up, and start moving!
“Community is one of the biggest things. Just knowing when you are coming out that you’re not by yourself. You’ve got your tribe there,” coach Tia Pettygrue said. “No matter what your pace is, there is somebody who can be there for you.”
BGR!’s mission is to combat the risks of chronic health diseases that health experts say affect Black women at a higher rate.
“African-American women have really been hit hard with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,” Pettygrue said. “A lot of these things can be prevented with lifestyle changes. One of the lifestyle changes is movement.”
“Being a plus-sized woman, a lot of people have a stigmatism that we are not fit, not healthy,” Deneice Page said. “But that’s a myth. Now that I’ve been with Black Girls Run, it has shown me that my body is capable of anything.”
The group has grown into a close circle where runners of all speeds and backgrounds move together.
“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Nwahiri said. “No sister, no woman, no girl left behind. I absolutely love that.”
More than 400 women from BGR! chapters across the country will be in Tampa Bay this weekend to run The Gasparilla Distance Classic.
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