LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A rock climber from Kentucky is celebrating a victory on a huge stage. He won a climbing competition that took him around the globe. Now, he wants to set an example for other people who come from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds.
For climbers, there's nothing quite like being up on the wall.
"Nothing else matters around you. You're so focused on what you're doing," said Cat Runner.
Runner has been climbing in one form or another since he was a kid. He grew up in Louisville and just recently found his way onto the HBO Max climbing competition "The Climb" hosted by legends Chris Sharma and Meagan Martin and actor and climber Jason Momoa.
Cat came in first, winning a $100,000 prize and a sponsorship with a climbing brand. It was a huge win for him as well as for the community he wants to represent.
"It means everything to be able to represent the ferocity of the queer and trans community and the beautifulness and the boldness of it," Runner said. "The mainstream representation of the climbing community that we know is often white, cisgender, and male."
As a trans, Asian climber, Cat wants to show people from all backgrounds that they belong. That was the spirit behind an event Friday night at LEF Climbing in Lexington. The Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition hosts "Climb L8" events all year at climbing gyms across the region. The goal is to bring out people from marginalized or underrepresented communities to try out the climbing world for free.
"We're able to remove that financial barrier and make it a safe, inclusive space for them to come and rock climb for the first time," said Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard, a member of the RRGCC board who plans the events. "The purpose behind this was to bring those marginalized communities, those Black and brown and Indigenous and queer communities into the rock climbing gym to create a space where they're able to climb with people that look like them. They're able to see people rock climbing that look like them, and give them a space where they can feel belonging and inclusion and just try rock climbing."
"I feel confidence in myself," said one climber named Vanessa after she finished climbing. "I was saying 'I can do it, I can do it,' and just giving myself confidence that I can do it."
That's just the kind of thing organizers want to hear.
"There's a lot of representation happening and that means a lot to a lot of people," said Runner.
"We're cultivating the next generation of rock climbers and the next generation that is representative of everybody - not just the historically white community that has paved the way for rock climbing and been in the majority, but a community that is diverse and equitable and inclusive," said Mazzolini-Blanchard.
If you would like to get involved in "Climb L8", visit https://rrgcc.org/climb-l8/.
