Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us

A searing expos on the whiteness of running, a supposedly egalitarian sport, and a call to reimagine the industry Runners know that running brings us to ourselves. But for Black people, the simple act of running has never been so simple. It is a declaration of the right to move through the world. If running is claiming public space, why, then, does it feel like a negotiation? Running saved Alison Dsirs life. At rock bottom and searching for meaning and structure, Dsir started marathon training, finding that it vastly improved both her physical and mental health. Yet as she became involved in the community and learned its history, she realized that the sport was largely built with white people in mind. Running While Black draws on Dsirs experience as an endurance athlete, activist, and mental health advocate to explore why the seemingly simple, human act of long distance running for exercise and health has never been truly open to Black people. Weaving historical contextfrom the first recreational running boom to the horrific murder of Ahmaud Arberytogether with her own story of growth in the sport, Dsir unpacks how we got here and advocates for a world where everyone is free to safely experience the life-changing power of movement. As America reckons with its history of white supremacy across major institutions, Dsir argues that, as a litmus test for an inclusive society, the fitness industry has the opportunity to lead the chargefulfilling its promise of empowerment.