Imagine a powerful sea of women on the move--encouraging fellow runners and celebrating personal running triumphs.  Picture a post-race party and expo all wrapped up in one memorable “after-party expo” where these strong goal-oriented women come together for well-deserved partying and pampering.  This is ZOOMA Women’s Race Series presented by New Balance.

ZOOMA Women’s Race Series presented by New Balance is an exciting new concept in women’s running that celebrates the power and beauty of all women.

 

• Purpose is to promote women’s and girls’ health and fitness by encouraging them to participate in a challenging and fun running event
• Pampering amenities and exciting entertainment with a “girls’ weekend” atmosphere
• Inaugural event held in Annapolis, MD on June 1, 2008 attracted over 1,600 runners
• ZOOMA welcomes both men and women to participate in all ZOOMA events.
• 2009 events will be held in Austin, TX, Annapolis, MD, Denver, CO, and Atlanta, GA
  

 

ZOOMA Women’s Race Series presented by New Balance works with a charity partner in each city.  2009 charities include LifeWorks, a non-profit that provides social support to families in Austin, Texas, and Girls on the Run Annapolis, a national non-profit educational and running program for pre-adolescent girls.  A portion of each ZOOMA race entry goes toward the local charity partner.

 

About Us

 

Brae Blackley, Founder and Executive Director of ZOOMA Women’s Race Series presented by New Balance, left a career in corporate law to follow her dream for a national women’s event series that empowers women to live active, health,and happy.  Brae founded ZOOMA in July 2007 working at a makeshift desk in a coffee shop.  Now, ZOOMA is a growing national series of women’s running events, with a booming following among active women and an exciting line up of events in cities across the U.S.

 

Healthy and active living has always been an important part of Brae’s life.  Growing up in a coastal town in Florida, Brae spent summers swimming, water skiing, and playing volleyball on the beach.  She ran on her high school cross country and track and field teams.  Experiencing the impact of sports and fitness in her own life led to Brae’s passion for inspiring women to realize their full potential through active living.

In 2005, Brae and her husband, Seth, founded a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of the people in The Gambia, West Africa.  Since its founding, Friends of Penyem, the organization founded by Brae and Seth, has funded over 25 scholarships, built a village library, and funded a solar-powered water system to bring clean water to the village.  

In addition to her non-profit work, Brae continues to run recreationally. She also enjoys travelling, cooking and scuba diving. Brae earned her J.D. from The George Washington Law School in Washington, DC and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, Seth, and dog, Kenan.

 

 

 

Sara Massengill is the Associate Director of ZOOMA Women’s Race Series presented by New Balance.  Prior to joining ZOOMA, she served as the brand manager for the St. Jude Heroes charity athlete program at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. 

Growing up in a small town in Arkansas, Sara was actively involved in many sports including equestrian events.  She was an all-conference basketball player and a member of her school’s volleyball and track teams.  She has maintained her active lifestyle as an adult, competing in many half marathons, several triathlons and she even completed her first gran fondo cycling race in Lucca, Italy in summer 2009. 

 

Sara earned a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Mississippi in 2004.  Her devotion to the non-profit community began while in college when she served on many outreach missions and fundraising campaigns for  St. Jude as a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. 

 

Sara lives in Denver, Colorado with her boyfriend, Robin Thurston, and dog, Luna.