Champion Highlight: Seattle Latinas Run Club

By Amy DiTommaso

An RIDC Champion is someone who is actively doing the work of the mission and vision of our organization and is a living example of the goals we have.

Our next champion is Seattle Latinas Run Club (SLRC). Like so many run clubs, SLRC was created to fill a hole in an otherwise predominantly white running space. SLRC was also created with the hopes of holding space not just as runners but as Latina women and femmes, to create something bigger than a group that runs together once a week. In June SLRC participated in their first Global Running Week, created by the Seattle Running Collective, which highlights BIPOC-founded and -led run clubs in the greater Seattle area. SLRC got to showcase not only their club but also their amazing culture through their event. RIDC was lucky enough to chat with Alexis Rodriguez, the founder of SLRC, to see what inspires her about her community and what she sees it growing into.  

Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC): When and how did the Seattle Latinas Run Club come to be?

Alexis Rodriguez (AR): Seattle Latinas Run Club was started in January 2025 out of a personal need for Latinx community in Seattle. I made a social media post asking where I could find other Seattle Latinas that loved to run, and I realized that I was not the only one craving and needing this community. As someone who was raised in a predominantly Latinx-populated area of Los Angeles, moving to Seattle, I went through a bit of a culture shock. I realized that if I wanted to find Latinx spaces, I needed to be intentional about it. Thus, with all the intention in my heart, I started Seattle Latinas Run Club on Instagram. I posted a date and time for our first run, and SLRC was born.

RIDC: What do you find most inspiring about your group?

AR: I would have to say the level of commitment from the humans showing up to each run consistently. It’s absolutely inspirational—there are girls driving up from Tacoma, from the Yakima Valley, Marysville, and all over. I know that this run club is so much more than just a run club to some of these girls, and that, to me, is absolutely inspiring. It is a space where you are able to connect with other humans that also want to build an uplifting community and share genuine joy. It is a space that celebrates the wins of its members, big or small. When we hear someone is proud of beating their mile time, we celebrate them. When we hear that someone ran for the first time in their life, we celebrate. When we hear that someone ran a distance they have never run before, we celebrate. When we hear that someone with social anxiety attended our runs on their own, we celebrate them. The people in this run club have shown me that in community, so much can be achieved, all while redefining who belongs in the running community. 

RIDC: Where do you see successes and/or areas in need of improvement in the fitness industry when it comes to the inclusion of the Latina community?

AR: This is a question I often made to myself when I started my fitness and movement journey. Running for me was always a white space. I first learned about running as a sport in college. I attended college at a PWI, predominately white institution, and so as a Mexican American, I didn’t think I belonged in the running space. I sought out other ways of movement, such as weightlifting. The same imposter syndrome followed me to Seattle. However, I started seeing a lot of videos of runners online enjoying running, and some of these runners were Latinx runners. Thus, I began my running journey in 2024. With age and confidence, I think that I have reframed my way of thinking and told myself that I too belong in the spaces I once avoided. 

I think the fitness and running space in particular can do a better job of highlighting BIPOC runners. SLRC recently attended a running event at Brooks for a shoe launch of a collaboration between queer Latinx creators of JZD and Brooks. This was so important to the Latinx and queer community because it truly echoed that Latinx runners and creators can also shine and celebrate their experiences. It is also important to acknowledge that fitness and running can be a privilege in some forms. Running shoes, running gear, athleticwear can be very expensive, and unfortunately, the economic disparities in Black and Brown communities can make it a challenge to access these sports. Institutional racism plays a huge role in what is accessible to Black and Brown communities, and in the fitness community, this can look like not having time to join a run club because you are working countless hours to get food on the table for you and your family. This can look like not having enough money to buy a pair of running shoes because minimum wage is not a liveable wage. This can look like not seeing people that look like you on a fitness brand’s ad and being discouraged to buy their products. This can look like not having the same access to knowledge or education that teaches our white counterparts to value health and fitness. Pouring into and uplifting BIPOC communities is the goal of Seattle Latinas Run Club, and although we are just a small part of our community, we have already accomplished so much. 

RIDC: You recently held a non-running event for your group! Why was it important to you to get your group together outside of their normal running clothes? 

AR: One thing about Latinas/Latinx humans is that we love to get together and dance, talk some chisme, listen to music, share stories, share experiences and joy. I knew that this run club would be more than just setting up a date and time for a run. I saw community and friendships forming after runs. People lingering to talk to one another and enjoying a beautiful Latinx space that may be hard to come by in Seattle. I wanted to create a social event where those small connections being made after runs had the opportunity to grow and flourish. SLRC was always meant to be more than just a run club, and so creating these moments and spaces for the womxn in the run club to come together and be in community is just as important as running the miles. 

RIDC: What is an achievement you are most proud of for your group?

AR: I would have to say I am most proud of the consistency of the humans showing up run after run. I am beginning to see familiar faces, and that makes me so happy. Not only are the run club members committing to themselves but they are also committing to this run club, which started as a passion project for me. I am also very proud of the numbers we are getting. I can’t believe that there have been runs where we shut down entire coffee shops for a few hours after our run. Each run, I get nervous because I am unsure how many people will show up, but when I see the large crowd, I am filled with joy to know that these humans believe in this run club just as much as I do. 

Lastly, I want to give a huge shout-out to the other two girls on my leadership team, Jackie and Melissa, that have been committed to growing this run club and creating events for all the members with me. Two humans that started off as strangers and now turned into friends that share the same passion to create an amazing community. 

RIDC: What are you currently working on, or what upcoming events do you have? 

AR: At the moment, SLRC hosts two monthly runs: one weekend run and one weekday run. Our next runs are on Saturday August 9th at 9:00am at Greenlake with a social hour afterwards and Saturday August 16th at Discovery Park with a yoga session afterwards! All details to our upcoming runs can be found on our Instagram, @seattlelatinasrunclub, and in our Heylo account, which can be found in the link in our Instagram bio. We have a lot of really cool things coming up this year like a big celebration in October for Hispanic Heritage Month, so I hope to see y’all there!

Know someone who is an RIDC Champion? Reach out to amy@runningdiversity.com and share them with us!