Black Trail Runners Talks & Run

Black Trail Runners in partnership with Sheffield Adventure Film Festival are presenting a series of short skills talks followed by a social guided run around the trails of the Porter Valley (5-10km).

Running in the outdoors should be for everyone, but although trail running culture imagines itself to be inclusive, it is effectively for the few. Black runners are under-represented in the culture of trail running, and lack a voice in its organisation and visibility in its media.

Invisible barriers to access mean that Black people miss out on enjoying our outdoor spaces such as National Parks and National Trails, and are effectively excluded from the joy of the natural environment and the many physical and mental health benefits that it brings.

With Black and minority communities excluded from the narrative of trail running, they are denied a powerful way to imagine themselves in the healing outdoor space. As our lives become more stressful and our cities more congested, it becomes increasingly important to spend time in the natural environment, to breathe fresh air and experience the wonder of our changing seasons.

The British rural landscape is beautiful and belongs to us all. We want to share the joy we have found in exploring it through running and empower new communities to do the same.

Whether you’re already an experienced trail runner, or you’re just thinking about lacing up for your first dirt run, we’d love to hear from you and welcome you into our community. We provide a safe space for our community members to share adventures in the outdoors, races and training sessions, ask and answer questions on kit, nutrition, meet-ups and we support each other along the way.

Sound good? Join us - we look forward to running with you.

Meet at the Gazebo opposite Endcliffe Park Cafe (Rustlings Rd, Sheffield S11 7AB): 

10:00-12:00 talks followed by light refreshments

12:00-14:00 taster trail run

Catch the bus 81, 82, 83 every 20 minutes from the city centre to Hunters Bar, then back into town for a screening of Spirit of Adventure Films at the Showroom Cinema starting at 15:15.