Black runners have long taken steps to avoid racial profiling and violence. After the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, many say their fear has taken on a new urgency.
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The killing in February of an African-American man in Georgia and the graphic video of it that emerged this week have brought to the fore a unique anxiety that has long troubled countless runners — running while black.
People across the country took to the streets Friday to honor Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old black man fatally shot on Feb. 23, by running or walking 2.23 miles, sharing their journeys by using the social media hashtag #IRunWithMaud.
For many black runners, the killing and its aftermath have shed light on simmering fears of being attacked or racially profiled while running, an anxiety largely undiscussed in the wider running community, but one that is now causing runners of color to think even harder about the decisions they have to make when they go out for a jog.
The killing brought to life what Tianna Bartoletta said she faces during a split second of pause — “Is it worth it?” — when she steps outside to go running. The three-time Olympic gold medalist, a black woman, said the activity that has brought her immense joy and professional success is paired with fear.
“I’ve run through streets in Morocco, Italy, Barcelona, Netherlands, China and Japan,” she said over the phone on Friday, “And it’s only in my home country that I wonder if I’ll make it back home.”
Arbery was killed not far from where he lived in Satilla Shores, Ga., a quiet middle-class enclave 80 miles south of Savannah. His family said he was out exercising when two men — who later said they believed he resembled someone wanted for a series of burglaries — followed him in their truck while armed with a shotgun and a handgun, then confronted Arbery and shot him to death.
The killing, which at the time received little national attention, gathered public awareness after cellphone footage showing the confrontation was released this week.
On Thursday, Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault, more than two months after the killing. The case has caused runners of color to be even more vigilant than usual, spending extra time deciding where they run, what they wear, even what they sound like while they are running to try to avoid any confrontations.
As runners laced up their shoes on Friday to run — an act they described as one of protest, defiance and mourning — there was another layer of anxiety because of the face mask recommendations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
