As a POC Female Runner

Last week, Strava held its Speed Project with 10 women to run a relay from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I had a massive issue with that. Why? Because they all looked like this:

Notice the diversity here? Almost none in terms of race. Sure some are moms, some are elite runners, some are disabled. But really? How did Strava manage to select 10 white people out of hundreds of applications?

I messaged Strava on instagram and other running platforms like Women's Running Magazine UK. No response yet. I recently signed up for Reddit, so I'll try it out there.

But I wrote a post on Strava and this is what I wrote:

"I LOVE Strava. It all started with a South African friend of mine who told me about it about 4 months into my running. It allows me to connect with runners from all over the world, whether I have met them or not. These runners are REAL runners. They don't have fancy sponsorship or shattering pace I can only dream of having. These are just everyday people who enjoy running and who self-motivate to run, and even though I haven't met many of them, I have massive respect for all my Strava friends.

I applied to the Strava Speed Project 2018 (https://blog.strava.com/the-speed-project-4-0/). It didn't ask for any speed requirements, just that you are a resident of the US, you can keep up, have teamwork, are a woman, will be committed, will post about it, etc. I knew the chances of my getting it was slim, but I did apply anyways. And to no surprise, I didn't get it. I live in London, but I am still an American resident - fine that may have been a technical caveat, but what I was shocked the most was the absolute lack of diversity in the team they selected.

All the women were white females. Sure, some are mothers, but most as I could see were high-level athletes. But really - were there absolutely no non-white female runners that they could have chosen from? Mind you this is a team of TEN and all ten are white. If it is about "female empowerment", then they should re-check that because to me, it seems like it's "white female empowerment."

Like I said, with my little-above-average running skills and my shady resident status, I wasn't expected to get it. But in 2018 and as a 21-year-old, I am still struggling to find athletes that represent me. I grew up in Japan, where women are still treated as second-class citizens. Sexism exists everywhere in Japan. My conservative mother once admitted to me that she thought sports was a waste of time. She stopped my swimming career because she was afraid my shoulders would get too big and I would look bulky. I got little education on fitness and health, and as a result, when I started boarding school in the US, I didn't know why I was chubbier than other girls. I thought I was eating healthy, I thought I was exercising, and I thought it was just my "genetics." Running has changed that for me. As I saw quick results and became addicted, I started to self-learn nutrition, fitness, etc. and as a result, I lost 15 kg and 18% body fat in less than a year. I ran my first marathon after 15 months after my first, brutal 2.5 km.

And yet Strava decides not to represent any women of color? This is absurd. I needed role models who understood my culture, who understood my struggles growing up. This is empowerment for sure in terms of the gender aspect, but it forgets the cross-sectional aspect of race and gender. I am so disappointed in Strava, honestly. What do you all think?(Disclaimer - I have messaged and commented on Strava's instagram, but no response yet)"

And surprise - still no response from Strava.

#mindfulness #strava #runningclub #gender #race #diversity