National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame to Induct Samia Akbar
Ohio Pen/10136880

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - OhioPen -- The National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) is pleased to announce the induction of Samia Akbar into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame. The induction banquet and ceremony will be held during the National Black Marathoners Association's Annual Summit at Cincinnati's Fly Pig Marathon Weekend on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

"Samia is believed to have run the fastest marathon by a native-born African-American woman at the 2006 New York City Marathon in 2:34:14," says NBMA executive director, Tony Reed. "Since 1975, about fourteen million people finished USA marathons. About two percent or 280,000 marathoners finished in under three hours. However, fewer than twenty were native-born, African-American women.

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This 2003 American University graduate had an outstanding collegiate career where she set seven school indoor and seven school outdoor track records in distances from 800 to 10,000 meters. She went on to four Patriot Indoor and two Patriot Outdoor Track Titles and the Patriot League Cross Country Championship.

During her professional running career, she represented the USA on various teams, including the 2009 Yokohama Ekiden, 2007 Osaka World Championships on the Women's US Marathon, and 2005 Bejing Ekiden Teams. She set the course record while winning the 2009 Army 10 Miler in 55:25 and won the 2008 National Half Marathon in 1:16:31 and the Inaugural 2013 Nike DC Women's Half Marathon."

Previously announced 2022 inductees include four, sub three-hour marathoners, Michele Bush-Cuke, Shawanna White, Michele Tiff, and Ingrid Walters. Additional inductees will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

About the National Black Marathoners Association

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The National Black Marathoners' Association (NBMA) is the largest and oldest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to encouraging African Americans and others to pursue a healthy lifestyle through distance running and walking, as well as awarding college scholarships to deserving high school distance runners. It is open to everyone, regardless of his or her athletic ability, ethnic background, or previous marathon experience. The NBMA hosts an annual multi-race summit. Previous races and locations have been Lewis & Clark (St. Charles, MO), New Jersey (Long Branch, NJ), Cleveland (OH), Lost Dutchman (Apache Junction, AZ), Cowtown (Fort Worth, TX), Georgia (Atlanta), Bermuda International Race Weekend, Deadwood-Michelson (Deadwood, SD), Madison (WI), Richmond (VA), Windermere (Spokane, WA), Dallas, Columbus (OH), and the Go! St. Louis, Baltimore Running Festival, and Little Rock Marathons.

For more information, visit www.BlackMarathoners.org.