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National Black Marathoners Association

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The National Black Marathoners' Association[1][2][3] (NBMA) is a not-for-profit runners' organization. The executive director and co-founder is Anthony (Tony) Reed, the first Black person in the world to run marathons on all seven continents in 2007.[4][5][6] It was formed in 2004 and held its first Annual Summit at the 2005 Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri. The organization offers college scholarships to high school distance runners. In 2013, it recognized the accomplishments of African American distance runners through its National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame and Achievement Awards Events. The organization is open to everyone, regardless of their running or walking ability or distance.

In 2021, they focused on African American women runners[7][8][9] with the documentary, Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners.[10] In 2023, they profiled seven African American distance runners with the documentary, We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes, to dispel the myth that African Americans are sprinters, not distance runners.

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National Black Marathoners Association's 1865 Logo

Since 2004, the National Black Marathoners' Association's (NBMA) official logo has been a symbolic race number. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished "slavery and involuntary servitude" on December 6, 1865.[11] After that date, Blacks were supposed to be "Free to Run" without interference.

Annual Summits

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The Association's annual summits are occasionally held in partnership with major races including the 2018 Baltimore Running Festival,[12] the 2019 Little Rock Marathon,[13] the 2020 St. Jude Marathon,[14] and 2021 Flying Pig Marathon.[15]

Documentary - Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners

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Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners Poster

Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners[16][17][18] is a 2022 feature length documentary film directed and written by Anthony Renard Reed.[19] It is about nine USA-born, African American women, who ran 26.2-mile marathons in under three hours and were inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame.[20]

The film features Marilyn Bevans, who became the first African American woman to run a sub-three-hour marathon[21] at the Boston Marathon,[22] as well as Samia Akbar, Michele Bush-Cuke, Sika Henry, Michele Tiff-Hill, Ingrid Walters and Shawanna White, who also ran sub-three-hour marathons and were all inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2022.[23][24][25][26] Alisa Harvey[27][21] and Ella Willis-Glaze are also featured in the film.

The chief videographer and editor was Kayla Key, who also was the voiceover for each of interviewee introductions. Bridgette L. Collins was the voice of Harriet Tubman and Nita Peters McKeethen was the trailer voiceover.

Documentary sections

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The documentary is divided into four major sections. The first section opens up by focusing on the relationships between Harriet Tubman, slaves running for freedom, and the National Black Marathoners Association’s 1865 “Free to Run” logo. Next, it defines the marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards like running 105 laps around a quarter-mile track. To run a marathon in under three hours, each lap must be faster than one-minute, forty-three seconds.

The second section consists of introducing each woman’s accomplishments and individual interviews. The third section focuses on the collective challenges which the runners faced, such as racism, sexism, work-life balance, religion, crashes, breast cancer, and body shaming. The last segment brings to Marilyn Bevans’ return to the 2022 Boston Marathon, where she was an official starter. Graci Gonzales,[28] an up and coming nationally ranked, six-year-old and under distance runner, is introduced. The documentary closes with a music video for (Welcome to the) Marathon by Dallas-area rapper, Solo Texas.

Production

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Filming for the interviews and introductions took place between August 15 and 29, 2021 in Tucson, Arizona; Boston, Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Baltimore, Maryland; and Alexandria, Virginia. Youth from the Boston Lion Track Club, MetroCobras Track Club, and Boston United Track Club. The chief videographer and editor was Kayla Key. The closing scenes, which featured Marilyn Bevans, were recorded by Anthony Renard Reed at the 2022 Boston Marathon.

Reception

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In The Washington Post, Kelyn Soong wrote in April 2023 that the documentary has caused "renewed attention" to the "exclusive list of Black American female marathoners to break the three-hour barrier," their stories, and "the fact that relatively few Black American women have broken the three-hour marathon barrier."[21]

Honors and awards

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The documentary and two ten-minute shorts received various awards at 2022 film festivals, including

  • Seattle Film Festival[29] - Best Sports Documentary Feature Film and Best Original Song for a Feature Film.
  • The NewsFest True Stories International Film and Writers’ Festival[30] - Best Music, Best News Story/Public Information, and Best Short Documentary Under 13 Minutes.
  • WRPN Women's International Film Festival[31] - Exceptional Merit Award
  • New York Independent Cinema Awards[32] - Award Nominee

It received official selections to be shown at the Toronto International Women's Film Festival,[33] Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival,[34] San Antonio Black International Film Festival,[35] Visions of the Black Experience,[36] Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association Film Festival,[37] Sweden's Boden International Film Festival,[38] and the Minute Madness Toronto Film Festival[39]

Documentary - We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes

[edit]
We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes

We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes[40][41] is a 2024 feature length documentary film directed and written by Anthony Renard Reed. It is about dispelling the myth that African Americans are sprinters and not distance runners by profiling seven African American distance runners, who were inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame.[42]

The film features nationally ranked milers and two-milers Ronald and Richard “Dick” Gregory[43] from Saint Louis, MO. Richard Gregory ran 3,500 miles from Los Angeles to New York City. Ronald Gregory was the national high school recordholder for the one- and two-mile. Theordore “Ted” Corbitt[44] was the first African American to compete in the Olympic marathon (26.2 miles/42.2K) and conceived of routing the New York City Marathon course through the city’s five boroughs.[45]

The film also includes Saint Louisans, Shalisa “Lisa” Davis and Anthony Renard Reed.[46] They both completed the marathon hat trick, which consists of running at least one hundred marathons, a marathon in every US state, and a marathon on the seven continents. Anthony Renard Reed is the first Black in the world to run marathons on all seven continents in 2007.[47][48][49] Ten years later, Shalisa Davis set the world record for running marathons on all the continents in seven days, thirty minutes, twenty-seven seconds.[50] Finally, it includes, Oakland, CA runners, Lisa Felder[51] who completed over 345 marathons and over 110 ultramarathons, and Alphonzo Jackson,[52] who was ranked in the top three in world in his age group for the 5K and half marathon, have coached over 30,000 runners.

The videographers were Luis Escobar, Kayla Key, Anthony Renard Reed, and Brian Young. Nita Peters McKeethen was the voiceover for the film and trailer.

Documentary Sections

[edit]

The documentary is divided into four major sections. The first section opens up showing collegiate 100-meter sprinters at the NCAA championship. It states the myth that African Americans are sprinters and not distance runners and disputes the myth by showing National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame inductee, Shawanna White, crossing the finish line at the Cincinnati Flying Pig race.

The second section consists of introducing each runner’s accomplishments and individual interviews. It opens by introducing the first two Blacks, who competed in Olympic marathon, which was held in Saint Louis in 1904.[53][54] Next, it highlights Sumner High School, which was the first high school built for African Americans west of the Mississippi.[55]

The third section focuses on the collective challenges which the runners faced, such as setting records, making world history, being involved in the community, running on trails, playing mind games during races, and running memorable races.

The final segment opens with Anthony Renard Reed talking about the possible slavery origin of the myth that “African Americans are not distance runners” because if slaves were allowed to run long distances, they would have run to freedom. The final scene was recorded at the site of the Windsor Plantation,[56] outside of Port Gibson, Mississippi, where his great grandfather, Benjamin Coleman was a slave. The film closes with the voiceover repeating that individuals should not restrict themselves based on someone’s opinion.

Production

[edit]

The Richard Gregory interview was recorded in Dallas, Texas on December 10, 2017. Filming for the other interviews and introductions took place between March 19, 2023 and July 31, 2023 in Oakland, California, Chicago, Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio, Port Gibson, Mississippi, Saint Louis, Missouri, Austin, Texas, Cedar Hill, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Suffolk, Virgina, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

Honors and Awards

[edit]

The feature-length documentary and related documentary shorts received various awards at 2023 and 2024 film festivals, including

  • Global Film Festival Awards, Los Angeles, CA, 2023 Winner - Best Feature Documentary[57]
  • Oniros Film Awards, New York, NY, 2023 Winner - Best Biographical Film[58]
  • BLUEZ DOLPHINS Monthly Online International Short Film Fest, India, 2023 Winner - Best Short Social Message Films and Best Short Historical Film[59]
  • NewsFest — True Stories International Film and Writers Festival, Pasadena, CA, 2023 Winner - Best Interview Format, Talk Show, or Podcast and Best Human Interest Story[60]
  • The Independent Creators Expo (ICE) CineFest, Cincinnati, OH, 2024 Winner - Best Feature Documentary and Best Biographical Feature Film[61]
  • Oniros Film Awards, New York, NY, 2023 Finalist - Best Sports Film[62]
  • New York International Film Awards, 2023 Honorable Mention - Best Inspirational Film[63]
  • Oniros Film Awards, New York, NY, 2023 Honorable Mention - Best Inspirational Film[64]
  • Black History Film Festival, DC & Atlanta, 2024 Honorable Mention - Best Feature Documentary[65]
  • The People’s Film Festival, Harlem, NY, 2024 Honorable Mention - Best Feature Documentary[66]
  • ATX Short Film Showcase - Austin's Monthly Film Festival, Austin, TX, 2024 Honorable Mention - Best Short Film - TX Showcase[67]
  • Luleå International Film Festival, Sweden, 2023 Semi-Finalist - Best Short Documentary[68]
  • WRPN Women's International Film Festival, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2024 Exceptional Merit - Best Feature Documentary and Best Sports Documentary[69]
  • The Black Panther International Short Film Festival, India, 2023 Award Nominee - Best Women's Short Documentary[70]
  • NewsFest — True Stories International Film and Writers Festival, Pasadena, CA, 2023 Award Nominees - Best Documentary News Story Over 30 Minutes, Best Family History Story, Best True Story (Documentary Style), and Most Inspiring[60]
  • Seattle Film Festival, Seattle, WA, 2024 Award Nominee - Best Short Sports Doc
  • Orlando Urban Film Festival, Orlando, FL, 2024 Award Nominees - Best Feature Documentary, Best Social Impact Film, Veteran & Military Award For Best Film/Documentary, and Best Documentarian[71]

It also received official selections at the:

  • Crown Point International Film Festival, Chicago, IL
  • Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, Cleveland, OH
  • Stockholm City Film Festival – Monthly, Sweden
  • St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO[46]
  • Austin Lift-Off Film Festival, Austin, TX
  • Seattle Film Festival, Seattle, WA
  • Freedom Festival International, Columbia, SC

References

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  1. ^ "National Black Marathoners Association".
  2. ^ "How These U.S. Running Organizations Are Working to Promote Diversity". Runner's World. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  3. ^ Magazine, Harlem World (2021-06-07). "National Black Marathoners Association The Official Charity Partner Of The NYC Marathon". Harlem World Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  4. ^ "Little Known Black History Fact: Tony Reed". Black America Web. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  5. ^ "Driven to Run: A Journey Marked in Miles - Office of Development and Alumni Relations | The University of Texas at Dallas". Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  6. ^ "Tony Reed Is Paving the Way for Black Long-Distance Runners Everywhere". Runner's World. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  7. ^ Ator, Jen (2020-05-15). "Speak Up, Speak Out: A Wish for U.S. Running From a Black Marathoner". Women's Running. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  8. ^ "Black American women marathoners". www.nyrr.org. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  9. ^ "We Spoke With 3 Black Women Who've All Had Different Journeys to Conquering 26.2 Miles". Runner's World. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  10. ^ "Breaking Three Hours". breakingthreehours.com. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  11. ^ "13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)". National Archives. 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  12. ^ "Baltimore to Host National Black Marathoners Association Annual Summit". Baltimore Running Festival. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  13. ^ "National Black Marathoners Association Hall of Fame Honorees to be Recognized in Little Rock". KARK. 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  14. ^ Williams, David. "St. Jude Memphis Marathon: He's run all around the world, spreading motivation and empathy every step of the way". www.stjude.org. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  15. ^ Stutz, Meredith (2022-04-28). "National Black Marathoners Association chooses Cincinnati, Flying Pig Marathon as host for annual summit". WLWT. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  16. ^ Bakoulis, Gordon (February 10, 2022). ""Breaking Three Hours" Film Celebrates Black Women Trailblazers". New York Road Runners. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
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  21. ^ a b c Soong, Kelyn (28 April 2023). "Black American female runners are blazing a new trail in the marathon". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
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  23. ^ Springer, Scott (April 24, 2022). "'It's been inspiring to see the doors open.' Black runners group to convene at Flying Pig". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Michele Tiff-Hill: From Piano Phenom to Olympic Trials Qualifier and Coach". Fleet Feet. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  25. ^ "A conversation with Samia Akbar". 22 June 2020.
  26. ^ rabbit. "Women's History Month - rabbitELITE, Shawanna White". rabbit. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  27. ^ ""Breaking Three Hours" Celebrates Black American Women Sub-3:00 Marathoners". New York Road Runners. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  28. ^ "Graci Gonzales". The Anniston Star. June 21, 2021. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  29. ^ "2022 Winners". Mysite. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  30. ^ "News Festival". Thenewsfest. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  31. ^ "WRPN.tv Women's International Film Festival". www.wwiff.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  32. ^ "New York Cinema Awards". New York Awards. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  33. ^ "Toronto Women Film Festival". Toronto Women Film. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  34. ^ "Home". www.whistleblowersummit.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  35. ^ "San Antonio Black International Film Festival". San Antonio Black International Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  36. ^ "Visions of the Black Experience film series Nov 10 - 12, 2022". Visions of the Black Experience film series November 12–21, 2021. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  37. ^ AudPop. "2022 BESLA Film Festival". AudPop. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  38. ^ "Boden Films". Boden Films. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  39. ^ "Minute Madness Toronto". minutemadnessto.weebly.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  40. ^ "We ARE Distance Runners". National Black Marathoners Association.
  41. ^ Reed, Tony (April 2024). "Closing the Gap". Running Insight. pp. 40–42.
  42. ^ "National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame". National Black Marathoners Association.
  43. ^ "Wikipedia".
  44. ^ "Ted Corbitt".
  45. ^ Barron, James (November 3, 2023). "The Man Who Moved the Marathon Beyond Central Park". The New York Times.
  46. ^ a b "New film follows Black St. Louisans who've run a marathon in every U.S. state and all 7 continents". St. Louis Public Radio. November 14, 2023.
  47. ^ "Tony Reed: How I Became the First Black Runner to Complete Marathons on All Seven Continents". Runner's World. July 17, 2007.
  48. ^ "First Black Runner Finishes Seven Marathons on Seven Continents". Runner Triathlete News. August 2007. p. 6.
  49. ^ Patowski, Joe Nick (February 2008). "Equal Footing: Few African Americans Run Marathons. Tony Reed Wants to Change That". Runner's World. pp. 2, 25, 26.
  50. ^ Beale, Jeremy (March 6, 2017). "Seven Continents, Seven Days, Seven Marathons, One Marine". The Marines.
  51. ^ Tilton, Morgan (November 4, 2021). "Mama Lisa Felder and the Long Road of Life and Ultrarunning". We Run Far.
  52. ^ "National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame 2015". National Black Marathoners Association.
  53. ^ Rodrigues, Ashwin (August 6, 2021). "The Unbelievable True Story of the Craziest Olympic Marathon". Runner's World.
  54. ^ Abbott, Karen (August 7, 2012). "How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time". Smithsonian Magazine.
  55. ^ "Sumner High School". Wikipedia.
  56. ^ "Windsor Ruins". Wikipedia.
  57. ^ "Global Film Awards, May 2023". Global Film Awards.
  58. ^ "Oniros Film Awards, July 2023" (PDF). Oniros Film Awards.
  59. ^ "IMDb - Bluez Dolphins". IMDb.
  60. ^ a b "IMDb NewsFest 2023". IMDb.
  61. ^ "May 2024 Award Winners". Independent Creators Expo Cinema Festival.
  62. ^ "Oniros Film Awards - July 2023" (PDF). Oniros Film Awards.
  63. ^ "New York International Film Awards, June 2023 Results" (PDF). New York International Film Awards.
  64. ^ "Oniros Film Awards, August 2023" (PDF). Oniros Film Awards.
  65. ^ "Black History Film Festival - Atlanta". Black History Film Festival.
  66. ^ "The People's Film Festival - Winners and Honorable Mentions". The People’s Film Festival.
  67. ^ "ATX Short Film Showcase - Austin's Monthly Film Festival". ATX Short Film Showcase - Austin's Monthly Film Festival.
  68. ^ "Luleå International Film Festival". Luleå International Film Festival.
  69. ^ "WRPN Women's International Film Festival". WRPN Women's International Film Festival.
  70. ^ "The Black Panther International Short Film Festival". The Black Panther International Short Film Festival.
  71. ^ "Orlando Urban Film Festival - Schedule". Orlando Urban Film Festival.
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