Joseph Gray is considered the Greatest Male Mountain runner of all time according to a World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) poll. Not only has he competed in mountain and trail running races, he’s also a two-time winner of World Snowshoe Champs and the USA Snowshoe National Title. He won his first USA Mountain Running National Championships in 2009 and became a twenty-three-time USA National Champion across track, cross country, trail, mountain, snowshoe, and road ultras.

He’s the first African American to represent the U.S. Mountain Running Team and works to inspire more minorities to pursue the sport. He’s earned numerous awards and recognition in his professional career, including being the

• Two-time World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Champion
• Thirty-six-time USA National Team Member
• Twelve-time USA Mountain Runner of the Year
• Six-time XTERRA Trail Running World Champion
• Four-time Pikes Peaks Ascent winner
• Ten-time USA Mountain Running National Champion
• Two-time USA 50k Ultramarathon Road Running National Champion
• Three-time USA Trail Half Marathon National Champion

For more information about his professional accomplishments, click here.

Shalisa “Lisa” Davis is a retired Marine Corps major. In 2017 at 47 years old, she set the female world record for finishing marathons on the seven continents in seven days, thirty minutes, and twenty-seven seconds. She’s one of about sixty people in the world and one of only three Blacks, who completed the 26.2-mile marathon "hat trick" which consists of

• Completing at least 100 marathons (2016)
• Running a marathon in each of the 50 states (2016)
• Finishing a marathon on all seven continents. (2017)

In 2023, she earned her sixth and final star for the World Marathon Majors at the Tokyo Marathon, which also her 200^th marathon . This versatile runner has also completed ten JFK 50-Milers and has qualified for and completed three Boston Marathons. Currently, she pursuing the CES Five-Island Challenge - Marathon and Half Marathon. She’s also featured in the documentary, We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes. [trailer] Click to listen to her recent interview by St. Louis’ NPR station KWMU about the film.