Kaci Black was in search of community when she moved to northwest Arkansas. What she didn’t know at the time was that the area would lend itself to her forming a community of her very own.
Black is the founder of Run Queer NWA, a running group for members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
She said she was surprised by how well northwest Arkansas lends itself to a group like Run Queer, with its infrastructure fit for exercise.
“The Razorback Greenway is amazing,” Black said, “And just being able to have paved, nice, upkept trails where people can run and bike and just walk and enjoy everything.”
Black became an avid runner after moving to Arkansas just a few years ago and saw the opportunities for runners firsthand. She’s originally from Oklahoma and said there are few safe trails to run on back home, so northwest Arkansas was a nice change of pace.
Black’s favorite running spots in the area include Lake Fayetteville and Gulley Park, which also happen to be where Run Queer frequently meets for their group runs.
However, northwest Arkansas’ infrastructure was not the only aspect that influenced Black to form Run Queer. The progressive nature of the area also played a role.
“That was a nice surprise, and just how funky it all is. I definitely fell in love with the area.”
Black’s appreciation for the region’s nature and culture led to the creation of her run group, which she started through a simple Instagram post.
“I didn't know anyone,” Black said. “I started it by myself, and just kind of tagged the other queer groups that already exist in this area, and they reposted it and stuff, and so it gained traction through that.”
Black had been to other run clubs in the area before starting her own, but the idea really clicked into place after she attended a queer bouldering meetup.
“I loved it so much,” she said. “And just being surrounded by the queer community was awesome while doing meaningful movement. And so I was like, well, ‘I like running. Why not combine the two?’”
Meaningful movement is the heart of Run Queer. Black said she believes it is essential to move your body in a way that matters. Not just to meet a specific goal. But to genuinely make you feel better and connect with your community.
“While we're running most of the time,” Black said, “we're talking like the whole time, and so it feels more meaningful and more valuable to be not only nourishing your body, but nourishing your mind and nourishing your social battery as well.”
While Black is an avid runner now, she sometimes walks during group meetups when she feels like it. She said it is important people feel like they can be a part of a group like Run Queer– no matter their athletic ability or interests.
“Do not feel like you have to fit a certain narrative or fit in a certain box of athletic ability. We welcome everyone,” she said.
Despite the group's name, Run Queer is not only for runners. Black said they’ve even had rollerbladers on occasion.
She said what really makes the group different from other run clubs in the area is the instant feeling of community you get when you show up to your first run.
“You know you're not going to be judged,” Black said.” You know people are like you. You're going to see someone like you. You're going to have similar experiences to someone there. So it's just very welcoming. And you just feel at ease from the beginning.”
Black said community is more important than ever.
“With everything going on in the world,” Black said, “being surrounded by people like you and similar to you is so important, kind of using community as a form of resistance, and it's just so nice and comforting to make connections with like minded people and have people similar to you who are going through the same thing.”
Black said, to her, just showing up every week can be a form of resistance.
“We're still here,” she said. “We're not going to disappear just because of everything happening. You're not going to force us back into a closet.”
Black said she hopes to grow the club through collaborations with other queer groups.
“The northwest Arkansas queer climbers, we've talked about wanting to do a collaborative group meetup maybe once every few months,” Black said.
The groups actually did collaborate recently. On April 11, Run Queer NWA and NWA Queer Climbers hosted a joint meetup. The group set off for a run starting in the Boulders and Brews parking lot in Fayetteville and circled back around for a climb after the run ended.
Run Queer’s first group run took place back in November. Since then, Black has created some fond memories with the group. Fond, silly, but also slightly scary.
“We were running at Lake Fayetteville,” Black said, “and it had gotten dark very quick. I think it was back in December, we were running, and it wasn't very well lit, and we heard coyotes. We took off sprinting. Where are they at? Why are they here? Why is this happening right now? So that was fun. I'm pretty sure it was just like dogs, but it was someone howling, and then more of them started howling, and we took off running.”
Whether it's coyotes, conversation or cardio that gets your heart rate up, Run Queer’s goal stays consistent, providing a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people and allies to move meaningfully.
