The morning started like every Monday morning, the alarm sounds at 5 am, and I begin my day by doing some morning miles on the treadmill before volleyball practice at 7 am. The only difference was an Instagram DM from a fellow runner asking if I registered for “The Race” in Atlanta. So, the seed was planted, I had not registered, but I was very interested at that point. Three days later, registration was done ✔️, and I’m headed to Atlanta for The Race.

Exactly what is The Race? It was a half-marathon and 5k presented by the Unity Collective group designed to uplift the community.

The weekend festivities began with a meet and greet reception for the VIP runners which allowed the runners to fellowship with each other and network about upcoming races. The Expo was held on Friday which featured African American vendors; a speaker series and a fitness series, which I found to be a different spin for an expo, educating the community and runners is definitely a plus in my book.

It’s race day, and as I approached the venue I could hear a version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” being sung and Greek Fraternities and Sororities representing in their run paraphernalia. Of course Delta Sigma Theta with the slogan “Run DST “ was present in large numbers, and of course, I’m a member of DST. Running with my Soror’s made this race extra special and I really needed their encouragement when I hit the wall around mile 7 or 8, I guess I should have expected this since I haven’t run more than six miles since July.

The course went through historically black neighborhoods in Southwest Atlanta like West End, Adair Park and Sylvan Hills, which was filled with rolling hills. Not just your average rolling hills but disrespectful hills, but just as I felt I could not run another hill a fellow runner would provide some encouraging words to help me run another mile.

The crowd support was awesome from cheers, D. J.’s and homeowners. As I approached mile 12 which was a mountain, I was meet with a crowd of supporters, and fellow runners who I had finished the course was cheering runners to the finish line. I notice a small medal around the necks of some of the runners, and all I could think was I know that I have not run all these hills for this small medal? It turns out the medal that I had seen were 5k finishers and he half medal was a larger medal worthy of the challenge that I had just completed.

The race did not end once you crossed the finish line because on Sunday runners participated in a community service project which made a further impact on the community. The Race was more than just a run it was an empowerment movement which not only made an impact on me as a runner but also the community and charities that benefited from this race.

So, if you are looking for a challenging course and a race with a purpose save the date for the “The Race” 2019 in the ATL. To stay updated on this movement follow their page on IG @therace_uc.