We tackle a serious topic in portions of this podcast episode - talking about the Ahmaud Arbery shooting death in Georgia. Our guest is an African-American entrepreneur, mother, and runner who talks openly about racism, her faith in God, and experiences as a black runner. We also talk plenty about fitness, how she's inspiring others, and her military deployment to a war zone.

After my introduction (00:55) about the Arbery murder from 2/23 and the recent 2.23 mile run to remember him on what would've been the jogger's 26th birthday, (5:10) we get to know our guest.

(7:52) Patrice Riley, 39, gets honest on the "Run The Race" podcast about fear, sadness, anger over the Ahmaud Arbery tragedy plus her participation in #irunformaud.

She also opens up about (12:36) her personal experiences with racism, growing up in California and now living in Georgia. She says we need to have more conversations about race, and sit in the uncomfortable mess at times. Does she think issues with racism have gotten much better in America?

And how can religious faith help overcome racism? (16:16) Patrice prays for unity through Christ. Jesus gave us the example of love and being with people not like him, being out of our comfort zone.

(18:40) We also discuss Patrice not growing up in a Christian home and how her 6+ years in the Army - including a deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom - changed her forever. The former soldier remembers verbally attacking Christians, but describes how God helped her overcome anger while on Fort Benning.

Then we dive into fitness! (23:52) She's a daily runner now, despite not liking it in the military. Her first 6-mile run completely changed her mindset. She even finished 1st place in a 6-hour race, running 30 miles. Now, she pushes others to get fit. (31:05) Patrice also talks about the importance of overall fitness with a variety of exercises, and how that translates to her role as a mother of 2.

(33:15) She has a message for busy moms about making time to stay fit: you owe it to yourself. Patrice says it's ok to go for a run when you're "in your feelings." (35:55) Now, this mother uses her gifts and talents to inspire others with a faith-based apparel brand WonderfullyCreated 1 and co-hosts a health podcast called "Well Well Well."

(38:05) We go back to the issue of racism, and what she thinks when people say they don't see color. Hear her surprising answer. And Patrice closes us out in Prayer!

(43:21) Our "Food for Thought" segment has a Christian perspective on past and present racist roots in America, and also how some people thing jogging has excluded black people.

Thanks for listening! Make sure to subscribe to this podcast. And please share it with your friends using #RunTheRacePodcast. Also, write a quick review about it. For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.