A Walking Challenge Honoring Mothers and Mother Figures
“I pledge to go the distance for my mom or loved one in the month of May by walking 52.4 miles in her honor.”
(Washington DC) This May, GirlTrek, the largest national health movement for Black women and girls, is hosting Mamathon 2023, a walking challenge, where women pledge to walk 52.4
miles (about 2.5 miles a day) during the month of May to honor their mother or a caregiver in their lives.
The length of a marathon is 26.2 miles, but GirlTrek knows mothers and caregivers go twice the distance, twice as hard and give twice as much love, care and time. GirlTrek calls this a Mamathon — twice the distance of a marathon, 52.4 miles.
“Walk in honor of a woman in your life. Walk because you are a mom and want to honor your motherhood by doing something healthy for yourself. Invite your friends and family to participate with you. This is how we grow the movement and spread joy and healing to the Black women we love.” said T. Morgan Dixon, GirlTrek cofounder.
GirlTrek encourages women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and communities. GirlTrek has mobilized more than a million Black women and girls nationwide.
“Eating right is hard. Walking every day is hard. Staying fit is hard,” said Keinika Carlton of Chicago. “I don’t want that for my daughters. I want walking, eating right, drinking water and being active to be a part of their lifestyle and now it is. They know, at 19 and 12, that living their best fit lives is the only way to live because they see the example that I set for them, and I include them in my journey. Walking with me and being a part of GirlTrek is the first step to my family’s generational well- being.”The oldest walker in the GirlTrek community is 100-year-old Nan Paige of Philadelphia.
Her daughter Faye Paige Edwards of St. Louis shared, “At age 100, my mother Nan Paige has lots of wisdom she is more than willing to share. One of her favorites about family relationships is, ‘More is caught, than taught.’ She positioned her family to catch the message that walking is a simple, yet radical act of self-care.”
GirlTrek’s Mamathon will include a photo project to document the intergenerational families that walk with the movement. Photoshoots are scheduled for across the country on Saturday, May 20th.
Once the Mamathon concludes women will start a new season of GirlTrek’s viral walking podcast, Black History Bootcamp on June 1st.
For media access, please contact Tyreen Taylor (239) 522-2423; Tyreen@girltrek.org
WHO: GirlTrek is a groundbreaking, national nonprofit that mobilizes Black women to walk, talk, and solve problems together.
WHAT: Mamathon 2023 Pledge: “I PLEDGE: To go the distance for my mom or loved one in the month of May by walking 52.4 miles in her honor. I promise to celebrate her hard work and sacrifices by not letting anything — and I mean anything — keep me from my goal.
When I complete my 52.4 miles and cross the finish line, it will be a victory for me and a victory for the woman I love!”
WHEN: May 1-May 31.
About GirlTrek:
There is a health crisis in America and Black women and girls are among the hardest hit. Every day 137 Black women die from heart disease. This is more than gun violence, HIV/AIDS and smoking combined. And the effects of chronic stress are wearing on Black women mentally, physically and spiritually. Black women die younger and at higher rates than any other group of women in the country: 82% of Black women are currently overweight, 53% are morbidly obese (CDC, 2020).
GirlTrek is a solution. With 1.2 Million active members and counting, GirlTrek, which has been featured on CNN, The New York Times, Essence Magazine and many other national publications, encourages Black women and girls to use walking as the first practical step to leading healthier, more fulfilled lives.
