Prince Rupert’s female runners were full of support — and so were their bras — as they ran Butze Rapids Trails for Global Sports Bra Squad Day.
The event, which was held on Saturday, July 13, this year, is meant to encourage the idea that strong bodies come in all shape and sizes, said Jamie Komadina, organizer of the run.
“We are awesome A-F,” Komadina roared as 13 other women and one toddler repeated in unison.
Global Sports Bra Squad Day was initiated by Kelly Roberts, a popular fitness blogger who started running to overcome the grief of losing her brother. In her blog, Roberts describes gaining more than 75 pounds as she mourned her sibling before deciding to go for a run one morning.
“Summer was in full swing. I didn’t own a decent pair of shorts that wouldn’t rub my thighs raw and the capris and shirt combo was killing me slowly. I wanted to ditch my shirt but I was too insecure about my body to run only in my sports bra,” Roberts wrote. “But one hellishly hot and humid summer Saturday, I finally gave in. A mile into my long run, I finally found the courage to ditch my shirt. If I was strong enough to run 15 miles, I was strong enough to run in my sports bra.”
Each runner ran the trail on a rainy Saturday morning, starting at 9:15 a.m., with the last person finishing no later than 10 a.m. The women were encouraged to run or walk at their own pace and wear whatever it was they felt most comfortable in.
Ashleigh Lockheart, an avid runner in Prince Rupert, said she decided to participate in the event because it is important for women to feel positive about themselves and comfortable in whatever they wish to wear while running. Her preference? Short shorts and a tank top.
“Every body is a bikini body and every body is a sports bra body,” she said.
