Photos from The Plus Strut 5k and an interview with founder Joy Tribble

The Plus Strut—the first curvy 5k in North America—took off with a bang on May 5th in Atlanta, Georgia at Chastain Park. As one of the sponsors of this groundbreaking event, we are thrilled to hear it was a runaway success for the curvy community.

One supporter, Erica P., traveled all the way from Florida with her sisters for the inclusive 5k race. “Once I heard about this event, I called my sisters and said, ‘We have to do this!'” Erica said. “We just wanted to experience it to be around people like us and not feel uncomfortable. So we came out to represent, walk and get healthy. We’ll definitely be back next year!”

We donated 300 of our graphic tees for participants, volunteers, and staff to wear during the race, and we have to say—everyone looked amazing in their tees.

We caught up with Joy Tribble, founder of The Plus Strut, after the wildly successful race, to hear all about the event and her plans for expanding the Plus Strut to more U.S. cities. (P.S. You can check out our interview with her before the event here.)

How many people attended?

More than we anticipated! We had people from Maine, Texas, New York, Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and the biggest surprise was, Bermuda (Yes! THAT, Bermuda).

What was the energy like at Chastain Park that day?

ELECTRIC! The energy was extremely high. There were so many smiling faces ready to make history, at our event. The one word I heard from women about how they felt during and post the event was, FREEDOM! When I imagined this event a year ago, I wanted people to feel the warmth, and love of community, unity, and connection from all walks of life. That’s truly the feeling that enveloped the space.

Why is it important for the curvy/plus community to come together to exercise, vs. joining other 5ks?

The old saying goes, “When one goes, so do the rest.” When you see someone that looks like you doing something that you thought you couldn’t, it some how gives you the courage and permission to take the next step. I feel like this is less about exercise, although its certainly the base line for why we were there, and more about living your best life.

Do you have any plans to expand The Plus Strut to other cities in the U.S.?

There have been so many request for us to bring this to other cities, I think we’re going to have to. The feeling we had on that day, must be shared…

What was the best moment of the 5k for you as the chief organizer?

The 10-second countdown before the race began. Everything came down to that moment. I felt like a spaceship ready to take off…it was EXPLOSIVE!

If you had one piece of advice for women who were reluctant or nervous about joining the Plus Strut, what would you say?

DON’T! This event was created for every nervous, scared, uncertain, woman of size that “thinks” they can’t. The Plus Strut 5K was created to tell you one thing…YOU CAN! Hope to see you in 2019!