A new Boston Marathon goal: Become more inclusive to local Black runners

Text by Meghan Smith via https://www.wgbh.org/

“Running is really a microcosm of a larger society. So even though it should be all welcoming and inclusive, it’s not,” says sociologist Tiffany Chenault.

Tiffany Chenault never imagined she would run a marathon, let alone the Boston Marathon. As a recreational runner and an African American woman, she rarely saw people who looked like her while running around her neighborhood. She noticed that the marathon was largely dominated by white runners and elite African athletes.

“Running is really a microcosm of a larger society. So even though it should be all welcoming and inclusive, it’s not,” said Chenault, who is gearing up to run the Boston Marathon for the first time on April 18.

She’s a sociology professor at Salem State University, and her personal journey with running sparked her academic curiosity. She now focuses her research on the lack of representation of African American athletes in recreational…

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