Black running group sues Boston Marathon over alleged racial discrimination

Photo: Getty Images A Black-led running group claims they were racially discriminated against and harassed by Newton, Massachusetts police at last year’s Boston Marathon. According to CNN, TrailblazHers, a predominately Black, all-women running group, filed a lawsuit last week against the organizers of the Boston Marathon along with the city of Newton and its police chief over alleged racial discrimination that took place in a cheer zone during the 2023 race. TrailblazHers organized a cheer zone at Mile 21, inviting other running groups led by people of color to join in support of Boston Marathon runners. For the past four years, the group has gathered at Mile 21 as a “key place where runners of color are acknowledged and celebrated,” the lawsuit states. However, during the 2023 race, Newton police “singled out spectators from TrailblazHers Run Co. (“TrailblazHers”) and other running crews that serve primarily people of color, racially profiling, targeting, and harassing them,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that non-White spectators at Mile 21 were held back by police as they were trying to celebrate and interact with runners while white spectators didn’t face the same treatment. Police formed “a human barricade to physically separate the running...