Tonya Terry, Former WSFA Anchor, Named WIT 5K Honorary Chairwoman
Updated: Sep 9
This year’s race, whose theme is “Empowering Girls to Change the World,” offers a shorter route for walkers and a virtual option, and celebrates International Day of the Girl Child!
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Tonya Terry, the fitness advocate, marketing professional, real estate agent and former WSFA news anchor, will serve as Honorary Chairwoman of the 4th Annual WIT 5K Run/Walk: Empowering Girls to Change the World, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, at Old Alabama Town in downtown Montgomery, to raise proceeds for menstrual hygiene products for people in need.
“As an outspoken advocate for health and wellness and empowering women, I am pleased to serve as the honorary chairwoman of the 4th Annual WIT 5K Run/Walk: Empowering Girls to Change the World,” said Terry, who is known by many people for her years as a morning news anchor and reporter at several radio and television stations across the Southeast, including WSFA.
Currently, Terry is the marketing director for Wesley Gardens Assisted Living in Montgomery and serves as a real estate agent for Wallace & Moody. She is also the author of several books. Additionally, she created the WonderFull World of Fashion, featuring plus-size models.
“The WIT 5K Run/Walk lines up perfectly with my advocacy for curvy women to be seen as healthy, attractive and competent, and with my work mentoring women and children to experience their best life,” Terry said. “For women and girls to experience their best life, they must have access to the menstrual products they need.”
The race is a fundraiser for Women In Training, Inc.’s (WIT’s) signature WITKITS Campaign to provide menstrual products and hygiene items to young, low-income people who menstruate. The event will also offer participants a visual tour of several historic sites in downtown Montgomery. All along the 3.1-mile course this year, participants will have the opportunity to learn about many important girls and women - many of whom are working daily to effect change right here in Alabama - and to understand why organizations like WIT are vital to our communities.
“This year’s WIT 5K Run/Walk will highlight girls and women who have overcome challenges in their lives to make a difference in the communities around them,” said state Rep. Rolanda Hollis, the Women In Training board chairwoman. “From award-winning actress Octavia Spencer to Sen. Katie Britt to WIT Co-founders and my sheroes, Breanna and Brooke Bennett, girls and women have always been at the forefront of meaningful and lasting change on a national and international scale.”
For 2023, WIT is offering two events on Saturday, Oct. 7, both starting and finishing at the Old Alabama Town in downtown Montgomery:
The WIT 5K (3.1-mile) Run/Walk Race, will start at 7:00 a.m. CST at Old Alabama Town, 301 Columbus Street, Montgomery. Participants will run and/or walk the 5K course for a timed result. For this race, WIT will have overall and age group awards based on time, and all participants will receive a unique WIT 5K T-shirt.
The WIT 2K (1.75-mile) Walking Tour, will start at 8:00 AM CST at Old Alabama Town, 301 Columbus Street, Montgomery. Participants in this event can see some of Montgomery's historical sites and learn about changemaking girls and women, without the stress of a 5K race. There will be a generous time limit for this event so that visitors can enjoy and learn at their own pace.
This year, there will also be a VIRTUAL WIT 5K Run/Walk for those who want to participate but cannot make it to the race in person. Shirts, bibs and medals will be mailed to virtual participants, who can submit their results on the event website.
“Participants will walk or run on a hilly course along the streets of downtown Montgomery, and this year we’ve added the option of a virtual walk/run,” Edmondson said. “Those who join us in person will enjoy a visual tour of several historic sites in downtown Montgomery, including Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. pastored while living in Montgomery during the civil rights movement, the Alabama State Capitol where King gave a speech about voting rights at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and the spot where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus, energizing the movement.”
Click here to register for the 5K race course, virtual race or 1.75-mile walking tour.