Announcement from American Trail Running Association partner US Trail Running Conference (USTRC).
Image: Anna Christophorou, Speedfreaks.
A Global Campfire: How supporting mental health can grow your race, is the subject of the fifth webinar in eight-webinar series produced by the US Trail Running Conference presented by Marathon Printing. The live webinar takes place on Thursday, June 22, at 1 pm MT, and is free for all race directors, event organizers, and trail runners to access. (The webinar is scheduled at 7 am on Friday, June 23 for participants in New Zealand.) A recording will be available the day after the live webinar for anyone that is unable to make the live session. The webinar series is held in partnership with the American Trail Running Association.
This webinar’s panelists feature representatives from Aotearoa (New Zealand), the United States, and the United Kingdom. For Aotearoa, panelists are Anna Christophorou from Speed Freaks, Chris Pike from the Crater Rim Trail Run, and Malcolm Law from WILD. Representation from the United States includes Sarah Strong from Bigger than the Trail, and Kim Levinsky from Sassquad Trail Running. From the United Kingdom, The Running Charity and a UK-based trail race will also participate.
The webinar will focus on the widespread global issues of addiction and mental distress, along with accompanying health and social issues, and show how they are all being challenged through innovative running and walking programs. Stories from across the global trail running community will share how supporting communities, creating connections, and growing recovery capital can change personal narratives. Coming together we have a stronger voice, advocating for others and sharing positive outcomes.
The webinar is geared towards trail race directors to encourage them to reach out to their local communities that are affected by mental health and addiction challenges, helping those in need while at the same time bringing fresh ideas and participants to the sport. Trail runners who have found help and recovery from a variety of running programs are also invited to join the webinar and add their stories and voices to the global conversation.
Anna Christophorou, Program Director and Founder of Speedfreaks, comments, “Running and the running community changes lives. Connection, prosocial activity, trails and feeling part of something is a magical combination.”
Terry Chiplin, Event Director for the US Trail Running Conference adds, “I am excited to be hosting this webinar that focuses on a subject that touches each and every one of us at some time in our lives. It is an honor to have been able to gather participants representing programs that connect community, growing health and wellbeing, as well as races that have combined with these same community organizations to effect real change for participants. I look forward to this global campfire and hearing about the magic of movement in nature that is being woven around the globe to help communities affected by mental health and addiction challenges.”
Who is this for? Race directors and event organizers who are interested in engaging with local and global mental health communities and attracting more runners to a sport that can help those communities. Registration is free – see https://ustrailrunningconference.com/webinar-series/ for more details.
More info:
For details on the US Trail Running Conference and the webinar series, go to https://ustrailrunningconference.com/webinar-series/
Contact Event Director, Terry Chiplin for further information,
[email protected], or + 44 07474 648250
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