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ANTOINE HAUGABOOK, 46, has been immersed in the road running community for more than a decade. A Nashville-based account manager in information technology, Haugabook has served as the co-captain of the city's local chapter of Black Men Run since its inception in 2013 and has also formed relationships with other clubs throughout the region. But when Haugabook and his wife, Yolanda "Yo" Lopez Haugabook, ventured off the roads they were familiar with and into the local trail running scene, they felt like they didn't belong.
"We immediately noticed we were the only people of color and didn't feel like we really related to anyone else out on the trails," Lopez Haugabook, 41, says. "On our third Saturday trail run, one of the other runners finally acknowledged us, saying 'You're back,’ and followed it up with '...Y'all ain't had enough yet?'"
The couple had hit the trails to try something different. After feeling burned out with road running, Antoine applied to and was accepted to the Running Industry Diversity Coalition's 2025 Freedom to Run: Back Outside program, which was designed to get runners of diverse backgrounds to explore the trails. The RIDC program was launched alongside a downloadable resource titled "Opening the Path to Trail Running: A Toolkit for Runners, Retailers, and Communities," which provides BIPOC runners with useful information and resources that act as a welcoming and approachable introduction to trail running. The Haugabooks, kitted out with the gear and coaching provided by RIDC, ventured out on the trails, only to be met with that disconcerting reception.
These types of programs are unfortunately necessary because it’s not an uncommon experience for many people of color when they try to get outside. Nearly 69 percent of outdoor participants are white, according to The Outdoor Industry Association’s 2024 report. Not feeling a sense of belonging is one of the biggest factors that can deter minority runners from exploring trails—but it’s not the only one. Runners who spoke to MH also shared concerns about safety, discouraging finish time cutoffs, and financial constraints, such as high entry fees.
That first experience felt very personal to the Haugabooks. Having long been acquainted with the message that running was for everyone, that microaggression messaged that not everyone was willing to include people who looked like them in the community and reinforced stereotypes that people of color fear and don't enjoy the outdoors.
Those early moments were uncomfortable—but the pair weren’t detered from staying on trail. That just served as fuel to their fire and led them to start Sin Miedo Trail Runners, a group for people of color that currently has around 60 members—most of whom are at the beginner level and experiencing their first introduction to trail running and racing.
"'Sin miedo' literally translates to 'without fear,' but our message is intended more as 'live fearlessly,' because fear tends to take over a lot of BIPOC experiences, whether it's the fear of being persecuted or excluded, and not just in running," Lopez Haugabook says. "'Sin miedo' was a catalyst saying we're going to show up and we will not be afraid to take up space, we will not be afraid to experience the outdoors, even though, culturally, we've been told to be afraid of being in the woods by ourselves, and rightfully so."
Witnessing this lack of representation firsthand prompted Detroit-area content creator Tommie Bailey, a.k.a. "Tommie Runz," 42, to create his "Black Skin Looks Good on Trail" campaign. Bailey has a long list of trail bonafides: he took on the 340 mile Speed Project course from Los Angeles to Las Vegas solo in 2025, he ran this year's Western States Endurance Run 100-miler, and has been a presence at the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) series in France over the last two years with major brands.
"I've heard from so many Black and Brown runners over the years saying that they've been inspired to get out on the trails after seeing the content I've put out over the years, and I feel blessed that I've always felt like I've had the freedom to talk about these topics even when collaborating with brands at these events," Bailey says. "We aren't being highlighted to the same degree because there just aren't a lot of Black Americans at the top of roads or trails because it's still new to a lot of us, but I think we need to have the conversations about why Black and Brown people don't feel like they're being represented at these races."
No Longer Waiting for an Invitation
THE CONCEPT OF creating their own spaces isn't new for many minority community leaders, especially as the running industry and corporate America as a whole have shifted away from commitments made during the 2020 social justice reckoning that came after the tragic murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Large brands, including Google, Meta, and Target, have cut DEI programs and positions meant to support employees from marginalized groups, and running community leaders have had to work even harder to highlight instances of racial injustice and accessibility and remind the industry and community that problems weren't solved in 2020.
In 2025, Alison Mariella Désir, co-founder of the RIDC and author of Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us, created the We Out Here Trail Festival, which offers race distances from 1.9 miles to two hours, in her home base of Seattle, along with her friend and local running coach and personal trainer Aaliyah Earvin.
"We chose these distance options because most trail races tend to be focused on longer/ultra distances and have discouraging finish time cutoffs that may make newer trail runners hesitant to sign up," Désir, 41, says. "We also wanted distances that people could not compare to road distances so that there were no expectations around what it should feel like, and so they could fully embrace trail running apart from their experiences in road running."
Having grown tired of calling out prominent trail racing leadership for their lack of concrete efforts to diversify their fields and create welcoming communities, she was inspired to create her own event where minority runners could show up as their true selves.
"We Out Here Trail Fest centers the experience of people of color, but white people are there too; we just created it with us in mind," Désir says. "If you can welcome people who are new to the trail and give them this incredible experience, and then they go off to other spaces, but they have this fundamental understanding that they belong, which is a huge service that we can do for the community. I want people to leave with a feeling that trail running is joyful and that it's for them."
