Black Girls RUN! and ESSENCE Announce National Partnership

Essence Magazine Named Exclusive Media Sponsor of the  2013 Black Girls RUN! Preserve the Sexy Tour Black Girls RUN! announced today that  ESSENCE magazine is the exclusive media sponsor of the 2013 Black Girls RUN! Preserve the Sexy Tour. The Preserve The Sexy Tour is a one-day conference that will feature Black Girls RUN!’s unique “Walk Before You RUN!” training program, guiding women in their journey from walking to running. Participants will also receive information and tools on choosing the best running gear, hair maintenance tips, nutrition and healthy eating. "We are very excited to work with ESSENCE, bringing together two passionate brands focused on educating and empowering African-American women," said Toni Carey, co-founder of Black Girls RUN!. "We look forward to partnering to enhance the experience of tour attendees and ultimately creating more dialogue around black women’s health while providing realistic and achievable solutions to getting healthy." This is Black Girls RUN!’s first national tour to further its mission to educate and inspire African-American women to get active and healthy by using its exclusive “Walk Before You Run” training program. ESSENCE will work with Black Girls RUN! to activate several elements throughout the tour to further engage its readers and Black Girls RUN! members. “The Black Girls RUN! Preserve the Sexy Tour is directly in line with ESSENCE’s own health focus for 2013,” says Constance C.R. White, editor-in-chief, ESSENCE. “Healthy living has always been a topic that is extremely important to our audience, who are always asking our editors for tips on creating a healthier lifestyle for themselves and for their families. We encourage everyone to join ESSENCE during this tour as we make a healthy start for 2013 together.” Black Girls RUN! recently completed its first Preserve the Sexy Tour stop in Nashville, Tenn., and will be visiting Birmingham, Ala. and Miami this month. As the tour continues across the Southeast, ESSENCE will have exclusive media rights throughout the tour. For more information on the Black Girls RUN! Preserve the Sexy Tour, and to register for the event, visit www.blackgirlsrun.com. You can also follow Black Girls RUN! on Twitter at @BlackGirlsRUN or use the hashtag #PTST13. About Black Girls RUN!: Black Girls RUN! is a national running group launched in 2009 by Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks. The organization has grown to include more than 60 running groups across the nation with more than 52,000 members.  The group was created to combat the obesity epidemic among women in the African- American community and dispel the myth that black women do not run.  The groups include beginner and experienced runners and provide a support system to help members reach their fitness goals. Black Girls RUN! provides a community and inspires all women to run. For more information about Black Girls RUN!, visit www.BlackGirlsRUN.com. ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:  Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online.  The company’s flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 42 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women’s lives.  Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

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