Texas Running Group Empowers Women of All Sizes to Run in Their Sports Bras – runnersworld.com

In the summer of 2016, Jessie Barnes was having happy-hour drinks and scrolling through Instagram with her friends Teresa Krammer and Vanessa Mitchell in Austin, Texas, when they came across a post by running coach and influencer Kelly Roberts.

In the post, Roberts detailed how she ran for the first time wearing just her sports bra, a feat of confidence and acceptance with her body that eventually developed into a social media movement known as the #SportsBraSquad.

“I saw Kelly post this photo and thought, ‘That’s amazing! Hell yes, all women should feel this way,’ but of course I still didn’t feel like I could run in a sports bra,” Barnes told Runner’s World.

She was not alone: Her friends Krammer and Mitchell admitted they felt likewise. They came to the unfortunate realization that none of them felt comfortable running without a shirt on despite the sweltering Texas heat.

Barnes and Krammer never ran without a shirt on. Mitchell occasionally ran in her sports bra, but only when she felt like she was “in shape.”

Barnes realized that if she wanted her friends to feel confident in their own skin, then she needed to believe in herself as well.

“The most powerful thing for me to hear that night was that people who seemed more confident than me have the exact same insecurities,” Barnes said.

That evening served as a wake-up call that eventually inspired an initiative to help encourage other women to love and respect their bodies—when they are running and beyond.

Starting the Sports Bra Squad

For the past three years, Barnes, Krammer, and Mitchell have led that initiative with the Sports Bra Squad ATX, a running group that meets once a month with the goal of creating a community for women to enjoy a run in their sports bras and build confidence together.

The running partners met in 2014 when Mitchell coached Barnes and Krammer in a morning boot camp. While the bootcamp eventually dissolved, their friendship grew when Mitchell guided them through their first marathon in 2016. Barnes and Krammer made their 26.2 debut at the 2016 Austin Marathon and became hooked on long distance running.

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They even started their own running group in town called “Team Snack Attack,” which met for long runs on the weekends and competed in Ragnar relays.

But after their sports bra conversation, they decided that their running group should have a bigger purpose: to help them gain strength and confidence. They felt uncomfortable hitting the trails in sports bras alone, but maybe together, they could give it a shot.

“The prerequisite to running in your sports bra is not feeling good about how you look or about your body, it’s knowing that you’re allowed to run in your sports bra no matter what, no matter how you feel about your body on that day,” Barnes said. “You get to take up that space and you get to do it however you want to.”

After several successful runs in their sports bras together, the trio finally felt ready to invite other women along.

By running in her sports bra, Krammer has been able to let go of the anxiety that has brought her down in the past. At one point, she would only run in her sports bra when the heat became too unbearable and would often mentally prepare herself to address a stranger who may make a comment about her body. Since taking on the initiative, she has let go of the negative thoughts and embraced running in her sports bra as a gratifying experience.

“The fact is, no one says anything, no one cares, they probably didn’t even see the runner. It’s a good reminder to get out of your own head,” Krammer said.

Eventually, they created a Facebook event that was open to all female runners in the Austin area.

On August 14, 2016, 32 women showed up to the meeting spot on the trail at Ladybird Lake. Based on the early discussions heard around the group about body insecurities and other issues, it became very obvious that the run was necessary and needed for a lot of women.

Runners of all ages and abilities congregated to run that day. A single father even brought his 8-year-old daughter with the hope of showing her the importance of accepting her body and all body types.

“It became clear that people need this,” Barnes said. “It’s not just us.”

A Growing Movement

In the group’s first year, the trio organized two runs in the warmer months. In 2017, they hosted three meet-ups. In 2018, it grew to five, and this year, they have plans to host a run once a month from May to September. They’ve even started to accept sponsors, which include Rogue Running and Jackrabbit, RunLab, Dynamic Sports Medicine, Moontower Matcha, Clif Bar, and Austin Beerworks, among others.

In addition to empowering the runners with a positive perception of their bodies, Mitchell, Barnes, and Krammer want to connect runners through the group runs.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to build a community and we want people to get to know each other,” Krammer said.

The meetings usually begin with a 20 to 30-minute introduction of the group’s mission with a story usually shared by an ambassador of the group about their personal experience running in a sports bra, which is followed by an ice-breaker activity. An example of an ice-breaker could be sharing a non-physical appearance quality that the runner is proud of.

Then Mitchell leads the group in a meditation exercise, which is followed by a 3-4-mile run completed in a range of paces. With the growth of the group, the trio has opened the initiative to all genders, inviting any runner who feels self-conscious to participate.

“Whatever you identify as, please show up, please feel comfortable running,” Mitchell said.

In the three years since Mitchell, Krammer, and Barnes created the Sports Bra Squad ATX, they’ve noticed a shift within the local running community. Whether on the trail or in various running groups around town, more women have embraced the idea of running in their sports bras, which they see as a sign of running with confidence. And they want to keep spreading that sense of empowerment with every runner who joins the squad.

“You are not alone. Whatever it is that you’re feeling with your body, someone else can relate, someone else will understand, and we will welcome you regardless,” Krammer said.

Contributing Writer Taylor Dutch is a freelance writer living in Chicago.