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Members of the Richmond chapter and chapters of Black Girls Run from neighboring cities gather for the 2018 Monument Avenue 10K.
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Gathering for the 2018 Monument Avenue 10K
As the new national CEO of Black Girls Run, Jay Ell Alexander has made it her business to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Alexander, who has been running in Richmond’s Monument Avenue 10K since 2010, was one of the founding members of the Richmond chapter of Black Girls Run in 2012. She recently assumed ownership of the national business from founders Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks-Rocha.
Black Girls Run includes more than 200,000 women in 73 running groups across 30 states using sisterhood to be the guiding light on their journey to better health.
Working as BGR’s national public relations director since 2012, Alexander has been able to bring attention to the organization from news outlets including CNN, Essence, Runner’s World and MSNBC.
“We have much more potential in terms of how we impact the African-American community, and it’s time to take it to the next level,” she says.
Black women remain at the highest risk for being overweight or obese in adulthood, according to the Office of Minority Health, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“We hear testimonials all the time of women [who participate in Black Girls Run] getting off their blood pressure medication, losing weight, but that’s just the beginning,” Alexander says.
Each local running group is led by ambassadors, such as Cassandra Simmons, who celebrated her 10th year running the Monument Avenue 10K last month.
In addition to meeting multiple times a week for runs, you’ll also see BGR members in pink-and-black attire in race meetups across the country.
“The mantra of BGR is no matter where you are in your fitness journey, no one gets left behind,” Alexander says.
“It’s really accounted to the sisterhood, the accountability and the community we create within Black Girls Run that really pushes women to make a healthier lifestyle change. It’s one of those things: If I don’t run I feel bad, but if I do run I feel better,” says Alexander, who experienced a weight gain while in graduate school, prompting her to start running.
Simmons adds, “My son is 15 and didn’t used to like to run, but when I started running, he started to run with me. ... Incorporating the kids is a huge factor, because that will completely change the epidemic if we’re able to reach the younger audience before they get to our age.”
The group’s demographic runs the gamut from new mothers to empty nesters, all with the common goal of making a comeback; however, they encourage people of all age groups and backgrounds to get moving with them. More information about Black Girls Run in Richmond can be found on their Facebook page or by checking out the Black Girls Run website.
On Mother’s Day, May 13, BGR is holding its Celebrating Our Queens Virtual 5K to be done anywhere/anytime during the day (registration has closed). An upcoming event is Black Girls Run! Global Running Day Virtual.
