Inaugural Run With Maud 5K to be Held May 6
ATLANTA - February 24, 2022 -- The Run with Maud 5K Run/Walk, an initiative to celebrate the life of
Ahmaud Arbery and raise funds for the foundation established in his name, will
take place on May 6 in Centennial Olympic Park.
The
announcement came at a community conversation hosted by the Ahmaud Arbery
Foundation and Atlanta Track Club Foundation on Friday evening, three years
after the Brunswick, Georgia, man was shot and killed on February 23, 2020,
while out for a run. The conversation was led by Wanda Cooper-Jones - Arbery's
mother - and Alison Mariella Désir, author of "Running While Black."
"Ahmaud
ran to feel free," said Cooper-Jones, who created the foundation. "It is the
goal of the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation for all people to enjoy running for their
mental and physical health. The Run with Maud 5K will raise awareness for that
vision and funding to provide mental health resources for black boys."
Ahmaud
Arbery would have turned 29 just two days after the run/walk.
Over the last 47 years, I have run in 35 countries and
almost every state in the union - more than 40,000 miles," said Rich Kenah, CEO
of Atlanta Track Club, which will serve as organizer of the run/walk. "Never
once have I felt unsafe because of the color of my skin. The murder
of Ahmaud Arbery brought that home to me like nothing had
before. For Atlanta Track Club to play a role in an initiative that will
further his legacy in raising that kind of awareness is an honor."
The run/walk will begin at 8 a.m. on
May 6, with all proceeds benefitting
the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation.R
