If you come to Seattle’s Seward Park, you’re bound to see dozens of runners.
But two years ago, runner Atlee Treasure saw something that nearly stopped him in his tracks.
“I was out for a run, and I ran by and I said, ‘That’s a large group of Black men’, but I had to finish my route,” Treasure said. “But I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, you should go back.’ For some reason. You should go back and just see what’s going on there.”
So he did turn around. What he found has been improving his life ever since.
“I loved it. I loved it,” says Treasure.
The group was ‘Black Men Run.’ It’s a weekly running group, where – despite the name- the run sometimes takes a backseat.
“It doesn’t matter if you walk, doesn’t matter if you jog, doesn’t matter if you run it’s about coming and joining in being a part of the community,” says Treasure.
That sense of community brought Willis Walker to the group as well. He was one of the first Seattle members.
“When we run, we do three or four miles, but it’s mostly us talking. Listening to music, talking about what concerts we’re going to, silly stuff. It’s whatever guys talk about. It’s fun,” says Walker.
The camaraderie brings back the men week after week. Open to all ages and skill levels.
“I would probably say most of the guys in Black Men Run weren’t avid runners. It just became a community event,” says Walker. “They were looking for change of lifestyle.”
The idea for ‘Black Men Run’ started in Atlanta 11 years ago. Founders Jason Russell and Edward Walton, use running to combat the health disparities Black men face. Black males are more prone to heart disease, heart failure, and strokes than their white counterparts.
Their running mission quickly grew, with Black Men Run chapters now all across the U.S. The group made its way to Seattle in 2021.
“In the Seattle area, a lot of the running groups, you don’t see many Black men in the groups. Which is another, that’s another big piece, I think, which makes this group approachable for a lot of Black men, is to see someone like you out, trying out, doing, living a healthier lifestyle than you may be maybe accustomed to,” says Treasure.
A community working to improve their lives, one step at a time.
For those interested in joining Black Men Run, the group meets every Sunday morning at 8:30. Rain or shine, at Seward Park.
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