Join Black Men Run Seattle, Black Girls Run Seattle-Tacoma, North of Seattle Run Club, and Club Seattle Runners Division for a run and more.
About this Event

Join Black Men Run Seattle, Black Girls Run Seattle-Tacoma, North of Seattle Run Club, and Club Seattle Runners Division for our 4th annual celebration of Black Health, wellness, and community. We invite you to run with us and hear from our local running community. This event centers and celebrates Black health because when the black community is well, we can all be well, but ALL people are invited and encouraged to join.

We will kick off with a run around the city. New Balance will provide demo shoes available to try on first come, first serve in sizing for the run. Then followed by a short panel talk moderated by Lena Hopkins from North of Seattle Run Club and panelist Les Sessoms from Black Men Run Seattle and Me'Kyel Bailey from Black Girls Run. Coffee from The Station and post-run snacks will be available. Swag is available on a first-come, first serve.

Refreshments and Raffle Prizes for attendees of the panel.

It's free, but you'll need to sign up.

Moderator - Lena V. Hopkins is a Seattle, WA native. She tries her hardest to dispel that awful "Seattle freeze" rumor by making community connections, especially within the Black and POC communities. Lena teaches Zumba on the side and is the Co-Captain for the North of Seattle Run Club. She currently works in Human Resources for the City of Lynnwood. When she's not working, she enjoys retail therapy (a little too much), traveling, attending live concerts.

Panelist -Les Sessoms is a runner with 3.5 years of training and running experience with Black Men Run Seattle. A first-gen college graduate from the University of Washington, Les holds a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University.

Professionally, he works at the University of Washington, where he focuses on graduate student recruitment and retention strategies. In 2018, while at home, Les suffered a massive heart attack and came within minutes of cardiac arrest. However, because of a strong will to live, Les started cardiac rehab and began the road to recovery. In 2021, he joined BMR Seattle and worked hard to improve his cardiovascular health and conditioning through running. In the 3 years since joining BMR, Les has finished the Seattle Half Marathon, the Mt. Rainier Half Marathon, plus numerous 5k and 10ks. Today, at the age of 59, Les is faster, stronger, and more optimistic about his future than ever!

Panelist- Me Kyel Bailey began her journey in health and wellness as a student-athlete, competing as a sprinter specializing in the 200m and 400m, challenging herself with cross country, and playing varsity basketball and soccer.

As a state policy advisor focused on health policy, Me'Hyel combines her professional commitment to public health with her personal dedication to physical fitness, mental health, and sports recovery. Running has always been a powerful way for her to maintain balance in her life while setting and achieving new goals.