When Tasha first began attending races in the late 1990s, she immediately noticed a pattern. As she puts it,

“Although there was great representation of elite Black women athletes, there was a lack of regular Black women runners in attendance at the races that I attended.”

That gap, and the conversations it sparked, eventually led her to create Black Girls Do Run UK in 2019. What began as a personal milestone quickly became a community movement, one built on visibility, belonging, and joy.

Why This Campaign Matters

Tasha’s involvement in This Girl Can goes back years, and her role on the advisory panel is grounded in lived experience.

“I just help advise with the campaign because there’s nothing like lived experience and making sure that it really is reflective of our culture, of our women and that it appeals to the audience that it’s intended for.”

The latest phase focuses on women who face the greatest barriers to movement. As Tasha notes,

“Only one in ten women from lower-income backgrounds do any physical activity. So this phase was really dedicated to targeting them and just encouraging them to move.”

The barriers are both practical and emotional.

“It’s time, money, and just having that thought of making the time to add something else to your already busy life,” We lead such busy lives and we’re juggling so much, sometimes it’s hard to add another thing into your life.”

The Power of Ten Minutes

What makes this campaign feel different is how accessible it is. Instead of pushing intense training or long commitments, it focuses on something anyone can manage: ten minutes. And her core message is simple:

Ten minutes of something is better than zero minutes of nothing.”

Visibility That Changes Lives

Black Girls Do Run UK has grown because women recognise themselves in the group. As Tasha says,

“It’s a bit cliché, but you can’t be what you can’t see."

Seeing other Black women running, women with similar lives, similar responsibilities and similar obstacles creates instant possibility.

New members join, try a short run, and soon find themselves going further than they expected. Just this week, Tasha received a message from someone newly inspired:

“Somebody just joined the group and said, ‘I’ve just recently started running. I came across your group and I’m loving everything I’m seeing so far.’

For Anyone Who Thinks They Don’t Have 5K Them, her advice is clear and encouraging:

“Start small. Run around the block. Walk bits of it if you have to. Have a day’s rest. Do it again.”

From there, she says:

“Build up to 10 minutes, then add another five minute, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes.”

Or, as she beautifully sums it up:

“Baby steps.”

And as you do, let her reminder stay with you: movement belongs to all of us, and every step forward, no matter how small, is worth celebrating.