Joy Tribble remembers her first 5K.
She felt welcome, but didn’t see enough women who looked like her.
Curvy girls. Big girls. Plus size.
“There was a little bit of angst,” said Tribble who wears between a 14 and 16. “Am I going to be the last one to cross the finish line? I was very nervous and if I felt this way, I’m certain other women did too.”
To bring more plus-sized women into the fold, Tribble has launched what she calls the “curviest 5K on the planet.”
“People think large bodies don’t move, but it’s probably because there hasn’t been a space created that makes them feel safe and comfortable,” said the Atlanta event planner. She wants to dispel the stereotype that plus-size women aren’t active.
The Plus Strut 5K Run/Walk will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday at Chastain Park (the starting line is at the playground on Dudley Lane and West Wieuca Rd. N.E.). Onsite registration is available at $50.
It’s open to any woman who feels that she is plus-size.
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In the fashion industry that can mean a size 8, but in the real world it may start at size 14 or 16 and up.
According to the Plus Strut web site, teams have been formed with names such as “We are #ThickFit,” “Good Curvy” and “Kushions Model Team.”
Nzinga Imani, a Covington teacher, actress, singer and makeup artist, has been training for a year for the 5K - her first.
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Watching others prep for 5k, Imani never thought she would participate in one.
“You see these faces and you say, ‘that’s not for me’,” she said.”You don’t think it’s something you can do because you’re competing against people who don’t have the same struggles as you. You don’t want to be scrutinized or judged.”
She said it’s good to be part of a community of plus-size women who offer the support she wants.
“I’m delighted to see people go against the norm and push the reality of what people think of plus-size women,” she said. “We’re active, we dance, we walk and run.”
