It’s easy to assume that outdoor sports like trail running are more accessible than most, because they take place in shared open spaces, generally require little financial investment to start, few subscriptions or memberships and equipment that isn’t out of the ordinary.
But those from marginalised groups, such as people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community, are opening up about their experiences in outdoor sports, where they see few people who look like them, and say they have often been made to feel like it isn’t a space they are welcome in.
There are, however, people who want to change that experience, and since a couple of them are professional runners, they are blazing a trail that could leave a lasting impression on the running landscape.
Coree Woltering, one of the U.S.’s premier long distance runners, is a professional trail and ultrarunner from Ottowa, Illinois. He is passionate about showing that outdoor sports are for everyone, and that no-one should experience barriers to taking part in nature’s playground.
“I’m openly gay, and I’m Black,” he tells ESPN, “and my big thing is [to get] more people of colour in the outdoors, more LGBTQ+ people in the outdoors.
“The outdoors have not always necessarily been a safe place for people of colour or the LGBTQ+ community.”
Woltering found trail running by accident after moving to Boulder, Colorado, when he was aiming to turn pro in triathlon. He fell in with a group of trail runners and mountain bikers who would take him out on the trails. He was hooked, and quickly learned the ropes of ultra-distance running, shelving triathlon in the process.
Woltering quickly made strides with his improving results, but was aware that among the off-road running community, there were few people that looked like him, and few brands using people of colour in their advertising.
He says, “In 2017-2018 a magazine wanted to do an article about what’s it like being Black and gay in the sport of ultra-running, and I was like, ‘Hey, that story…
Source : espn
