‘Without Fear:’ Trail Running Is More Than a Sport for These Run Clubs

June 26, 2026

Nashville resident Gabe Marrero had plenty of hesitation about trail running. The idea of going out in the woods provoked a litany of fears for him. He was worried about getting lost or being attacked by snakes and bears.

Most of all, the thought of being alone in a forest — especially as a person of color — was a scary proposition. Marrero had always thought of trail running as a “white people activity,” or something that “black and brown people just don’t do.”

Then he joined the Freedom to Run program created by the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC). The leaders of this nonprofit understand why people of color would have fears of running alone. They created RIDC in the wake of the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man murdered while jogging alone in a small town in Georgia. GEAR JUNKIE