Around two thousand people occupied the waterfront of Salvador to participate in the first edition of the Women’s Race this Sunday morning (17). The event, which is part of the city’s special anniversary program, started at 7am at Farol da Barra and continued to Vila Caramuru, in Rio Vermelho. Supported by Salvador City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat for Social Promotion, Combating Poverty, Sports and Leisure (Semper), the race had routes of 5 and 10 kilometers.
To ensure inclusion, 200 free t-shirts were reserved for low-income women, in addition to each registration including the donation of 1 kg of non-perishable food, intended for families in situations of social vulnerability. The event organizers also donated two tons of food.
The head of Semper, Júnior Magalhães, highlighted the promotion of sport and the inclusion policies carried out by the City Hall. “Seeing the willingness and participation of people, early on Sunday, in participating in a race, shows how well the City Hall’s initiative, through Semper, in implementing the Esporte Salvador law is. Thus, we promote sport and leisure and contribute to the well-being of the population of our city, as practicing sports increases social interaction, relieves stress and also helps maintain health,” he said.
Nenel Rebouças, creator of the event, expressed his gratitude for the support of municipal management and the strong participation of women. “We had great support from Salvador City Hall. We wanted to do something that was impactful, so the idea of the pink race, during women’s month, with free female registrations, touched our hearts and touched the hearts of the two thousand registered people who are here”, he explained.
According to Nenel, “it was a great pleasure to hear the speeches of several women present, talking about how important tests like this are for them to continue motivating themselves and taking care of their health”. “It has been an immense pleasure to contribute to this moment”, she added.
Overcoming – Athlete Janine Reis, 31 years old, winner of the 5 km race, shared her joy and motivation shortly after arriving, on her knees. “Today, I live from running. My job is racing. So my celebration is always thanking God first, for giving me the strength to arrive and complete the tests. That’s my brand,” she described.
She said that she has already been participating in other races in Bahia. “I come from three consecutive competitions: two in Cachoeira and one in Feira de Santana. This is now the fourth. My coach suggested that we only run again next month, but we runners always want more”, reported the runner.
The athlete pointed out that running is an incentive. “For me, winning the Women’s Race this month aimed at women is a satisfaction, a reason for gratitude. I thought it was really beautiful to be able to do this race. We, women, are warriors, fighters and mothers”, said Janine, who left some advice for beginning athletes: “Don’t give up”.
Businesswoman Laís Santos, 38 years old, found a partner in the race to overcome a difficult time. “Since 2021, after living a very painful experience in my life. Being in this movement, first thing in the morning, doing this activity, completely changes my energy, impacting everything I do. So this is a strategy, a way that I saw to overcome my experience. This reverberates in all my activities. I am a businesswoman, I am a stylist, and this directly impacts what I deliver to my clients,” she reported.
For Laís, the recognition of women during the event reinforces the relevance of the female presence and contribution. “We who give life, we who create. A tribute that is nothing more than fair. Not only in relation to today, but every day that we can honor women is extremely important so that we can continue doing what needs to be done: impacting lives and changing lives”, concluded the businesswoman.
