The Checkpoint

This episode of The Checkpoint is sponsored by adidas TERREX. In this episode Sabrina and Rachel talk to BTR Members Angela Tomusange, Lisa Jayne Henry-Arscott and Alice Light about their trail running journey and what lessons they’ve learned along the way. We talk about the importance of community, representation and mentors as well as modelling what we want to see in the world. Be prepared to be blown away by these inspiring ladies and their stories and experiences. Thanks for listening and remember to rate, review and subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. To follow their journeys go to: Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/henryarscottl/ Angela: https://www.instagram.com/kimbowa2016/ Alice: https://www.instagram.com/alice.light.731/

This episode of The Checkpoint is sponsored by adidas TERREX. On this week’s show Sabrina talks to fellow Black Trail Runners member, Renee McGregor, and trail running ultrarunner, Raj Mahapatra, about their experience at this year's Spine events. On June 18th 2022, Renee crossed the line as 3rd female at the Spine Sprint – a race covering 46 miles along the Pennine Way, starting in Edale and finishing in Hebden Bridge. And on June 25th, Raj and Sabrina crossed the line of the full Spine – a race covering 268 miles along the Pennine Way, starting in Edale and finishing in Kirk Yetholm. In this episode the trio discuss: Why the Spine race? What is it? Race prep and training Kit The race journey Highs and lows The power of teamwork The importance of representation And much more…. Links: Renee McGregor – IG @r_mcgregor / https://reneemcgregor.com Raj Mahapatra – IG @mrrajkm Sabrina Pace-Humphreys – IG @sabrunsmiles /www.sabrinapacehumphreys.com NASS Charity - https://nass.co.uk/ Spine Race - https://thespinerace.com/

This episode of The Checkpoint is sponsored by Adidas Terrex. In this episode, the first in our new ‘How To’ series, run coaches Sabrina and Rachel are talking about hills! They address questions from the community including: - How do you train for a hilly trail race when you live on the flat? - What is a ‘technical’ trail? - Do you have to use poles? - How do you improve your downhill running technique? - What can you do to avoid injury on the up and downhills? It was a fun and (hopefully) informative conversation. We’d love to hear what you think about this episode, so please drop us a comment and also let us know what other topics you’d like us to cover in future ‘How To’ eps! For the strength and conditioning sessions mentioned, go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDioyxbx4tPQPCy-4BOVVZg/featured

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is supported by Adidas Terrex. Miranda Brawn is a multi-award winning philanthropist. She has more than 25 years of experience in the financial markets and legal industry, and has served on more than 30 boards and committees across the private, public and third sector. She is a non-practising barrister-at-law and a former hedge fund derivative sales trader, being one of the first women of colour on the London trading floor of a tier 1 global bank.  She is the creator of the world’s fastest success course (The 60 Second Coach) and an international public speaker who champions diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, success, human rights and opportunities for diverse young people including women and girls. She serves as an independent non-executive director for global corporate boards, including electric vehicle manufacturer Switch Mobility Ltd, making her one of the most senior women in the global engineering boardroom.  In 2016 she founded The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, where she chairs the Board of Trustees and launched the UK’s first Black Women on Boards initiative.  In Episode 35 of the Checkpoint, Miranda talks to Sabrina and Sonny about her career, what has driven her success, the importance of giving back, and the work of the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. Follow Miranda on Facebook @MirandaBrawnEsq, on Instgram @mirandabrawn, on LinkedIn @mirandabrawn and at www.mirandabrawn.com. Follow the work of the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation at www.tmbdlf.com.

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. Frit Tam is a British- born, Chinese, transgender filmmaker. Frit is an adventurer, climber, roller-blader, cyclist, stand up paddleboarder, skier, and hiker to name a few. Frit is also the founder of Passion Fruit Pictures, an award-winning film studio whose aim is to add colour and diversity to the adventure industry through film-making. In 2021, Frit embarked on Glide for Pride - a 1700km rollerblading and cycling challenge, North to South, across England to showcase LGBTQIA+ stories. Frit is in the process of creating a documentary around the challenge and it will be the first film of its kind with a transgender, East-Asian protagonist, highlighting the wealth of diverse voices the UK has to offer. In this wide-ranging discussion, we talk about adventure films, how Frit discovered the outdoors, mental health, fries and puns! Follow Frit on Instagram: @frit_tam @passionfruitpictures_ Glide for Pride: www.fritandhealthy.co Passion Fruit Pictures: https://www.passionfruitpictures.co/ Frit’s Films: Brave Enough: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/braveenough The Wanderlust Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2_g-Btaj60 Adventure Films mentioned by Frit: Meru - Jimmy Chin: https://jimmychin.com/motion/meru/ Rise Above The Fear– Abbie Barnes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qfPDk9it2U

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. Amira is a 29-year-old Muslim British Indian woman, originally from Bolton who now lives in the beautiful Lake District, here in the UK. Amira is an adventurer, a changemaker, activist and – for thousands of people who follow her on social media – a truly exceptional human being who, through sharing her adventures, inspires us to get outside. It was in 2020, during the Coronavirus lockdowns, that Amira founded The Wanderlust Women Group – a hiking and adventure community for Muslim women. And in 2021, after deciding that she wanted to fully immerse herself in all things outdoors, she made the decision to move from her hometown of Bolton to The Lakes and became an outdoor walking leader. Amira’s aim is to break down the barriers and stereotypes of the niqab and to break down misconceptions of Muslim women through her personal work and that of her thriving community. So, without further ado, let’s dive deep into this conversation and find out more about her past, present, and future plans. Follow Amira on Instagram Follow The Wanderlust Women on Instagram The Wanderlust Women Website Mentioned in this episode: 'Welcome Home' - Najwa Zebian

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 29, Marcus and Rachel talk to Kelly Smith, adventurer, built environment enthusiast & navigation guide. Kelly holds an undergraduate degree in Project Management for Construction and a masters in Flood Risk Assessment, Modelling and Engineering. Kelly swims in the pool, lakes, and sea, cycles with TWR, hikes with Black Girls Hike and has started running with Black Trail Runners. Kelly hopes to be a beacon of light to get more people from diverse backgrounds into multi-sport events and Kelly also has a big project on the horizon, which we get into on the podcast. Look out for a film coming later this year! Kelly answers navigation questions submitted by members of the BTR community and shares lots of useful tips on map-reading and route-finding. We talk about Kelly’s inquisitive mind towards all things related to sustainable development as well as their passion for the outdoors.  For more information, make sure to follow Kelly: https://kellysmithonthego.com/ Instagram YouTube  Additional links: All the Elements: https://www.alltheelements.co/

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®. In episode 27 we take you behind scenes at the trail taster event which took place 27 November 2021 at Epping Forest. There was a group of more than 20 runners, including a contingent from our friends Emancipated Run Crew, many of whom were running on the trails for the very first time. We were hosted by Camino Ultra and Orion Harriers Running Club. Regis Martin from Camino gave a map-reading and navigation workshop, focused on the route we would later run. Darren Strachan from Camino shared trail running kit advice. Then it was out into the cold of late November for a run along the grass and leaf-strewn trails of the largest ancient woodland in the south of England, with views across London from Pole Hill, 91m high on the Greenwich Meridian. So much fun was had that some of the group went out and ran the route again, finishing with some night-running practice! In this conversation we share firstly some of the key learnings from the workshops that you can apply. And secondly you can listen to some of the great conversations we had on the trails. We have plans in place for more trail tasters events in 2022. We’ll be heading to the Lakes, to Wales, the South Downs and elsewhere. To find out more you can follow Black Trail Runners on Instagram @blacktrailrunners

In episode 25 of The Checkpoint sponsored by The North Face®️, we talk to Tasha Thompson. Tasha Thompson started running 21 years ago, initially starting out in the gym on treadmills before deciding to switch to running outdoors and entering races. Her first race was in 1998 and even at that time she noticed the severe lack of representation of Black women on the start lines. However, being the woman that she is, that didn’t stop her running and she continued to consciously and unconsciously represent at various road races. Fast forward to 2019 and, after stumbling across a US run club contingent aimed at bringing together Black women to share community through running, the seeds of creating a safe running space for UK based Black women were planted. In April of that year, Tasha launched Black Girls Do Run UK. The aim being to inspire Black women to run for their health, fitness and mental wellbeing. The group is not about fast times, medals or prize money. Tasha’s community consist of women who work, go to college and are mothers. Women who may feel they run slow. Black Girls Do Run UK is about these women – showcasing them and providing a place for them to be supported and celebrated. What started out in 2019 as a group consisting of Tasha and a few friends has grown tenfold and continues to attract new face-to-face and virtual members. So, it gives us great pleasure to welcome to The Checkpoint Tasha Thompson, founder of Black Girls Do Run UK. Follow Black Girls Do Run UK: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackgirlsdorunuk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlsdorunuk/?hl=en More information: https://linktr.ee/blackgirlsdorunuk

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️. In episode 23 we chat to Mosi Smith. Mosi is a US Naval Academy graduate who served in the US Marine Corps for 8 years. While at high school, Mosi had his first taste of endurance running when his team coach asked him to run 4 miles which, at the time, was 4 times as long as he had ever run. Since that day, a day that sparked something inside him – a taste for endurance – he has gone on to finish more than 100 + endurance events of marathon distance and longer. Mosi sits on boards for non-profit organisations and raises money for those that seek to support the physical and mental wellness of veterans. One of his current fundraising campaigns is ‘1 in 10’ – a campaign to enable him and a friend to raise 1 million dollars for the Semper Fi fund through the completion of endurance events. Whether raising money for veterans, representing for Black athletes in ultramarathons and adventure racing, or just finding new places to explore and ‘be’ while training, Mosi continues to show up and inspire through his professional and personal commitments. For more information on Mosi visit: https://linktr.ee/therunningsmith Follow therunningsmith on Instagram, Facebook and Strava.

Trigger warning: some discussion around eating disorders This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️. In episode 21 we talk to Renee McGregor. Renee is a leading sports dietitian with over 20 years’ experience, specialising in RED-S, athletic health and performance, eating disorders and female athlete nutrition. She is a keen trail runner and the Diet Lead for the Ultra X ultramarathon events and has experience working in clinical and performance nutrition, including with the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games teams. Renee is also a co-founder of #TRAINBRAVE - a campaign raising the awareness of eating disorders in sport and dance and is author of the Training Food, Fast Fuel books and Orthorexia, When Healthy Eating Goes Bad. We talk about energy deficit in sport, the importance of awareness around eating disorders and we delve into Renee’s work as part of Hearts, Minds and Genes. Find out more about Renee at: https://reneemcgregor.com/ Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r_mcgregor/ #TRAINBRAVE campaign: https://trainbrave.org/who-we-are/

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️. In episode 19 the BTR community are live in Meopham, Gravesend at the Maverick Race event, Ultra Black Trails. As the U.K. returns to racing, on the grassroots level it is encouraging to see people not only return to running events, but also to see members of the community taking on their first trail race. In this episode we speak with Dora Atim who founded Ultra Black Running, which she created to form a safe space for black women and non-gender conforming people to turn up, and truly own their place at the starting line. She partnered with Maverick races to bring this event to fruition. We also speak with Ben Macwilliam, Director of Maverick Race and gain valuable insights into what it takes to put together an event like this. We also capture a series of conversations with: Blair Wilson - winner of the short distance event Simbarashe from BTR captures some great content live from the runner’s on the trails Matilda from Fly Girl Collective Manni from London Select Tash from Black Girls do Run Sabrina and Sonny from BTR Plus we capture additional experiences, and insights of the BTR community in this podcast. If your inspired by this episode and want to get involved in trail races or other events look, have a look at Maverick Races and letsdothis.com and sign up to your next event.

This episode of The Checkpoint podcast is sponsored by The North Face®️. In episode 17 we speak to Stuart Lawrence is the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence who, on 22 April 1993, aged 18, was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack. Stuart was 16 at the time. Since then, Stuart has fought the injustice of his brother’s death, alongside family and supporters. He has worked for the Home Office, HMP Belmarsh, and had a teaching career spanning 15 years at a secondary school in Southwest London. Since leaving teaching, Stuart continues to work as a consultant, educator and motivational speaker. His first book – Silence is Not an Option – was released in April 2021. In it he reflects on his brother’s life and murder and describes the tools he has used to help him live positively. The book is written for younger readers, from 10+, and aims to help them find their own voice and work towards a better future. Stuart also works tirelessly to promote the Stephen Lawrence Foundation. A foundation more recently launched to redouble efforts, think bigger and use the current moment to create further opportunities for more people on our journey to equality for all. Stephen Lawrence Day is held on 22 April each year to commemorate the Londoner’s life. Stuart talked to Sabrina and Sonny about his book, the importance of education and an honest teaching of history, the kind of modern Britain he wants to see, and how he stays positive in his work and daily life. You can follow him on Instagram @hon_stuartlawrence and on Twitter @Sal2nd