Empowering Trails: Kia's journey with 'Who Run The World' Runners

Empowering Trails: Kia's journey with 'Who Run The World' Runners

My name is Kia :-) I like being outside. I am a runner, and preferably on dirt and singletrack. I am an ultrarunner (although it does feel like a lifetime ago). I spend a lot of my spare time around Yarra Trails in Naarm/Melbourne where I am either trail running or trail riding. These days, I run for joy purposes; staying present and connecting with others in nature. I also ride my bike to some faraway places. I am also very proud to be half-Filipino.

Last year, I established a trail running group for marginalised genders called Who Run The World (WRTW). We run Yarra Trails in Naarm/Melbourne at 6pm on Tuesday nights for approximately 5km. We are extremely lucky to have a beautiful and extensive trail network within 5km of our CBD.

WRTW started for many reasons. 

1) WRTW is a space for marginalised genders

This means women (cis and trans), trans men and non-binary people. It’s no secret that outdoor spaces including running have a diversity problem. Given that marginalised genders are underrepresented in the outdoors including trail running; WRTW aims to encourage folks to run on dirt in a safe, supported and welcoming space. I don’t like throwing around the term ‘inclusive’ as it often gets used so easily, so I would ask the people who run with us to be the judge of that.

2) WRTW is a social, non-drop group run.

Most of the run groups in this city are either performance-based or road-running. Often, many run groups claim to be a ‘social run’ however runners still get left behind. WRTW has a strict non-drop policy. This means we start and finish together. We take breaks and we will wait for one another. We have a lead and a scoop to make sure no one is left behind.

3) WRTW addresses genuine safety concerns of running alone

There are genuine safety concerns running at night in this city. This is a huge barrier to running. We are all in this together; our group run helps to alleviate safety concerns from alone running.

4) WRTW rejects stereotypes of who traditionally has access to outdoor spaces

WRTW aims to increase representation and diversify outdoor spaces. We are super proud to have a truly diverse mix of run leaders, and run crew.  Representation matters; you can’t be what you can’t see.

Happy trails,

Kia

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You can follow Kia and WRTW on IG here