Shortly after Fatma Ramadan relocated to Toronto to attend University, she experienced a heartbreaking event which resulted in her focusing on her health and wellbeing. Initially she started power walking, but over time she got comfortable with running on a treadmill. Fatma would do most of her running on the treadmill because as a Hijabi woman, she felt ashamed to run through the streets of Toronto in her scarf.

I saw the number of minority women that would show up, specifically Muslim women, and how much of a difference it made and how excited they were and I thought maybe it’s not really a temporary thing.

Fatma Ramadan

Eventually Fatma would muster the courage to start running outdoors and that’s when she discovered the Nike Run Club. While she was nervous about running in a group, Fatma quickly realized just how welcoming and supportive the running community is. Fatma would finish her first marathon with the support of the club, but when the Nike Run Club closed its doors, Fatma wanted to recreate the sense of community she experienced and, in 2019, A Women’s Run was born.

In this episode, Fatma shares how her short term project turned into a movement for women in sport; specifically women of color and other Hijabi runners and how the running community stepped up to bring her vision to life.

To learn more about A Women’s Run, you can follow them on Instagram at: @awomensrun