NBMA

NATIONAL BLACK MARATHONERS' ASSOCIATION

Imagine...

Hundreds of Black Americans from around the nation

	Converging at a different marathon each year,
	Wearing red jerseys and black shorts,
	Offering encouragement and support to one another, and
	Providing scholarships to deserving high school distance runners.

Here's how you may help us to achieve this goal.

Our Mission

The National Black Marathoners' Association (NBMA) is a not-for-profit organization. It is open to everyone, regardless of your athletic ability or previous marathon experience. (Over 40% of our members have never completed a marathon and many are walkers.) Our objectives are to

	Encourage Black Americans and others to pursue a healthy life-style through long distance running and walking.
	Serve as a vehicle for Black American distance runners across the nation to meet in mass at a single marathon.
	Provide scholarships to deserving high school boy and girl distance runners.

Here's how we hope to make these simple dreams into reality

Either (a) provide your email address and/or (b) periodically re-visit this website. Your email address will not be shared with any other organization.
Once a year, a "multi-race" marathon will be identified for the members to meet and run. A multi-race marathon is a marathon that also includes a variety of other races, such as a 10K, half marathon, or marathon-relay. This allows runners of various abilities to participate.
The race will be identified at least six months prior to the start. This allows you time to train for your event and make travel arrangements.
You will be asked to wear a red tank-top or jersey and black shorts or pants. If you happen to already own that color, then you're ready. If you don't already own that color, you may purchase it from your local merchant. (Note: Red jerseys and polo shirts with the NBMA logo, as well as RoadID tags, are available at our webstore.)
This website will be updated with the "multi-race" marathon event. If you provided your email address, you'll receive emails with the upcoming event.
You register for the race and make your travel plans as you would normally. Be sure to mark the NBMA box on the entry form.
At the start of (and during) the race, look for someone with the appropriate color jersey and provide extra encouragement.

That's it!!! Hopefully, from this experience, you'll be able to meet and offer encouragement to other walkers and runners, perhaps, make a life long friend, and help to send a student to college with your scholarship donation.

Hit Counter

The Ft. Worth's Cowtown Event on February 27 and 28 in now over.

Several of our members placed in the events.

50K Ultra-Marathon

Nikela Gates (Ft. Worth, TX) - first place female in the weight division.

Michele Smith-Harden (Norfolk, VA) - second overall female & first place in 45-49 age group. (The day after Cowtown, Michele ran the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco, TX and placed first in her 45-49 age group!!)

Frederick Davis III (Cleveland, OH) - first place in the male, 60-64 age group.

Michael Pegues (Dallas, TX) - third place in the male, 45-49 age group.

Mary Carmen (Austin, TX), Lei Durmmer (Jacksonville, FL) and Angela Ivory (Nashville, TN) also completed the ultra.

Marathon Results

Arvat McClaine (Richmond, VA) - third place in the female in the weight division.

Elzy Warren (Bedford, OH) - first place, male in the 55-59 age group.

Half Marathon Results

Elizabeth Brown (Cincinnati, OH) - third place in the female, 60-64 age group.

Frances Gilbert (Cincinnati, OH) - second place in the female, 70-74 age group.

Rudy Smith (Gretna, LA) - second place in the male, 65-69 age group.

10K Results

Joshua Skipper (Ellenwood, GA) - first place in the male, under 10 age group.

Ellen Ector (Smyrna, GA) - second place in the female, 55-59 age group.

Marcia Watson (Solon, OH) - third place in the female, 55-59 age group.

Lameka Weeks (Dallas, TX) - second place in the female weight division.

Thanks to the Avondale Running Club for making their $500 donation to the scholarship fund.

2009 Cowtown 50K, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K Photos

2009 Race Day Gathering

Click here to download a high resolution, 4MB Pre-Event or Race Morning group photo.

Links to other members' photos from our 2009 Gathering

Lei Drummer - Ultra Marathon Photos

Aaron Wade - Marathon Photos

2008 Lost Dutchman Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 8K Trail, and 2-Mile Runs

Click here to see additional photos at the 2008 Event's photo gallery.

Latest News Bulletins

	The 2009 NBMA Annual Gathering is featured in Black Sports - The Magazine's June, 2009 edition.
	Read about us and other Black running clubs in the May, 2009 issue of Ebony (p. 105) and in the April, 2009 issue of Inside Texas Running.
	We've added a link to Champions United Together as One (CUT 1). This is a running organization in various US cities. We've also included a link to a Facebook group, Sisters in Motion (Memphis).
	The NBMA now has a group on LinkedIn.com.
	Tony Reed, our Executive Director, was featured in the Black Sports - The Magazine's February, 2009 edition.
	The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has an article about us in their February 2, 2009 Sports section.
	Black Sports - The Magazine has a four-page article about the NBMA in their January, 2009 edition.
	Read about the NBMA in the December, 2008 edition of Pride Magazine's special men's issue.
	We've added new links to our Black Running Clubs section. Ebony Eagles is a women's running club in Charlotte, NC. Also, Just Us is a group that's based in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk areas. If you're in the area and looking a group to train with, be sure to visit their websites.
	Check out our latest third quarter eNewsletter.
	Scholarship applications for the 2008/2009 year are now available to be downloaded. If you know of any deserving high school senior cross country or distance runner (1500 meters or longer), please direct them to our site. Scholarships are available for both boys and girls. The submission deadline is April 15, 2008.
	Read about the NBMA in the Spring, 2008 issue of the National Black MBA magazine.
	The Jacksonville, FL running club, Team Mocha, has been added to our Black Running Clubs section. If you enjoy running on the beach, check out their website.
	Don't forget to make your tax deductible donation to our scholarship fund.
	We now have a Yahoo Sports Group. It's called NBMA_Org. Feel free to post questions and join in the discussions. It's free to join.
	For those of you who travel for business or pleasure, we've started compiling a list of Black Running Clubs in the US. If you know of any, send us an email at Comments@BlackMarathoners.org.

Who We Are

(based on the initial sign up forms)

	Female: 59%
	Male: 41%
	Number of States Represented, includes DC: 43
	Number of Countries: 5 (US, Canada, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom)
	Most Represented State: Ohio (Followed closely by Texas, Georgia, California, Maryland, and Virginia)
	Avg. Age: 43 (There's a 67-year difference between the youngest and oldest person.)