Empowerment is nothing without action. Without feet-on-the-ground purpose. The greatest barrier is to be passive — to know what's right, but still do nothing. To feed the unconscious bias. But there's also a fine line between behavior that fosters progress — legitimate equality — and that which is simply a veil. A sticking plaster.

There are pockets of change. We like to call them change-makers, trailblazers, or leaders. But simply, they are just doing what we all should — enabling participation through inclusivity, support, and friendship — across the generations.

When a group comes together, setting aside talent to focus on the fundamentals of security and making connections, that's when we see growth. Building towards a race like the Berlin Half Marathon offers an opportunity to align the values of the Berlin Braves with a goal that everyone can work for — without judgment.

”I'm learning a lot from the women in our running community, especially the younger women. I'm learning solidarity, I'm learning that it doesn't have to be a competition.” — Friederike Musy, Berlin Braves.

Special thanks to Anna Hankings-Evans, Cati Granz, Friederike Musy, Isabelle Watson, Anna Ruther, and Jacky Kommers