rnnr began while we were on one of the raddest runs of all: Desert Rats Marathon around the Colorado River. Instead of focusing on our finish time, we found ourselves FaceTiming friends so they could come with us through the insane scenery. ‘Serious’ runners blew past us. But that race will go down as one of our best because it was then that we realized, THIS is why we run.
We do it to move our bodies, to see new places, and to meet amazing people – including each other.
I’ve been a runner my whole life.
I ran then, and I run now, because of what it does for me. It pushes me beyond my limits. It takes me to beautiful places. It’s also how I meet the best people, including Justin, my husband, co-founder of rnnr. (True story: We met at the starting line of a trail race, talking shit. We shared a beer after. We’ve been running together ever since.)
Before rnnr, I was a Special Education teacher and a Track & XC coach. The schools where I taught had little resources to devote to running programs, and an even lower rate of student involvement.
Still, my kids were curious about running. They’d ask to wear my medals around the classroom. They knew running was a big part of my life, and they wanted to know why. So I did what I always do with people I love: I asked them to run with me.
I started sponsoring kids to be part of their school running programs. It didn’t seem right that the cost, the gear, or the transportation could stand in their way.
Soon enough, they caught the bug. They learned how good it felt to achieve their goals. They didn’t need fancy gear or the title of “runner” to be out there; they just needed to know that this was a fun thing they were able to do.
It’s the same thought I had while running that race in Colorado: So many of us see this as an elitist sport, reserved for ‘serious’ athletes to push their limits, requiring big investments in gear and travel. When, really, it can just be as fun and as free as… just getting out there.
That’s why, with every purchase, we donate a portion of profits to initiatives funding local youth running programs. Because everyone should have the chance to be a rnnr.
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