AKRON, Ohio — This weekend marks the 10-year celebration of the Akron Marathon Race Series.
It kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. with the National Interstate 1 Mile and continues Saturday with the 8k at 7:30 a.m.
Among those lacing up their shoes for the races this weekend will be 45-year-old Jason Betts of Stow, whose message is more important than the medals he has accumulated in recent years.
Betts, who weighed more than 300 pounds when he started running in 2018, is hoping to inspire other Black men to pick up running.
When he participates in local races, he shares pictures on social media, using the #BBR2, which stands for Big Bruthas Run 2.
"You see I'm a plus-sized guy, but getting our there running, it just lets people know that Big Bruthas Run 2. It's more of an encouraging thing," Betts said.
Betts said concern over his health motivated him to get moving.
"My wife, she finally told me to go to the doctor to get checked out. I was getting headaches all the time. My doctor was like, your blood pressure is too high and I could have been close to diabetic," Betts recalled.
Betts shed some pounds, changed his diet and now feels better physically and emotionally.
He also joined a new running group geared towards African American people called Solely Responsible.
It was created by Akron Municipal Court Judge David Hamilton, who just started running last year. He skipped the traditional 5k beginner races and started with a half marathon.
"And then, I ran another half and then I ran a full marathon last year," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the group chooses new monthly routes in predominately Black Akron neighborhoods to encourage others to run.
Solely Responsible, which started in March, continues to grow. Hamilton said 37 runners are signed up for some of the runs in the Akron Marathon Race Series.
"More than half of them have never run a race before," Hamilton said.
The judge said seeing Black representation in recreational running is important, but his group also has a strong focus on health.
"African American people have higher death rates than any other racial group for all leading causes of death, but are the last to receive quality health care, and so, the onus is on the Black community to become solely responsible," he said.
Betts and his wife hang all of their medals in their basement, a reminder of their past accomplishments, but looking to the future and inspiring others is the goal in the long run.
"Don't let your inability be your disability to whatever your goal is going to be. For mine, it's just to be able to run," Betts said. "I just want to encourage people to get out there and just do it. It's a lot of fun. It's good for your health. It's good family time."
The race series continues with the Goodyear Half Marathon & 10k on Aug. 10 and the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon & Team Relay on Sept. 28.
Both Betts and Hamilton are planning to run in those events as well.
