About Us
WE ARE SOCA RUN FESTIVAL
The Soca Run Festival (SRF) was created to inspire the Caribbean and African-American community to improve its health and fitness whilst celebrating Caribbean carnival culture. Our goal is to change the world of running and reshape the way people view Caribbean culture and fitness. SRF is the first run festival of its kind to integrate the energy, music, and vibe of carnival throughout a fun and immersive 5K course. Our participants, aka Soca Runners, will enjoy live DJs spinning soca music as they run through 3 Fete zones: a powder zone, a flag zone, and a paint zone. Our runners will then cross the finish line, aka "The Stage," in true carnival fashion and enjoy performances by the best soca artists and DJs in the world.
our mission
A FOCUSED GLOBAL MISSION.
Soca Run Nation and our exclusive Soca Run Festival not only promotes health and wellness for African American and Caribbean communities, but it also organizes special field days for underprivileged youth and gives back to black non-profit organizations. Now are popular Soca Run Festival has gone virtual across 6 countries and 18 amazing cities across the globe with plans for future growth and expansion.
WHAT SETS SRF APART FROM OTHER RUNS
96% of our runners are Caribbean and African-American women.
The inclusion of soca music, a genre associated with high-energy and fun
Our non-profit, Soca Run Nation, organizes field days for underprivileged youth.
We donate a percentage of SRF proceeds to black non-profit organizations.
OUR PURPOSE
To inspire cardiovascular health and fitness in the Caribbean and African-American community.
Annually donate proceeds to selected beneficiaries and non-profit organizations.
Start annual fitness runs in major cities across the United States and Caribbean.
Promote soca music to a wider audience.
Promote black businesses.
Create the largest 5K run in the world.
Soca Run Festival Brooklyn Recap
about the founder
Troy D. Johnson
I am not only the owner of YHYF Wedding Grooming, but work at a black owned barbershop in Brooklyn, but I am a father, husband, carnival enthusiast, and a black man who runs. Being an avid runner and participating in over 10 Marathons internationally, Every time I completed a marathon I would realize that less than 5% of the runners in my running club were black and I knew hundreds of blacks runners. I couldn’t understand why more of us didn’t participate in marathons. In 2017, after I finished the Rock And Roll half marathon in New Orleans, I asked myself how could merge two things that I love- Soca & Running. A lot of these events are not black owned and they are not geared to appeal to our culture. From that point on it was my purpose to make and own the biggest 5k run in the world that was geared to help and give back to our culture in all forms.
Meet the Founder & Creator of the Soca Run Festival Troy Johnson