The following article features Runners For Public Lands Everyone Runs Fund, its history, its mission, and the application process. Photos by: Runner’s for Public Lands.
Shaun Wahl, a sixth grader from Ventura, CA, has cerebral palsy. He always dreamed of competing in sports. In 2022, Wahl’s dream came true at the inaugural Born To Adapt running event for adaptive athletes, a partner event of the popular Born To Run Extravaganza held in Los Olivos, CA (read about the Born To Adapt founder Zach Friedley and his professional adaptive athlete career here). Wahl’s journey was supported by many including his family, friends, Friedley and Runner’s For Public Land’s (RPL), a nonprofit that empowers the running community to progress climate action initiatives.
RPL was inspired by Wahl’s journey and created the Everyone Runs Fund, to help Wahl receive funds to race, as well as raise money for other athletes from underrepresented communities who lack the means to pursue their running dreams. Now in its second year in 2024, the Everyone Runs Fund is seeking to support more athletes like Wahl and give opportunities for runners of all backgrounds to enjoy the sport they love. In the following article, I speak with Runners for Public Lands managing director, Kathleen Baker, about the goals of the Everyone Runs Fund, how to apply, and the future of RPL.
Everyone Has The Right To Run in Nature
In its fifth year as an organization, Runners For Public Lands is seeking to expand its mission further into pursuing equitable access to nature. Baker explains this goal, “We are working to represent all types of runners in caring for the environment. We recognize that environmental degradation impacts different communities in different ways. Many of the communities that are underrepresented in our sport are those that are most impacted by poor air quality and other environmental degradation that prevents them from being able to access nature. We want to work specifically to advocate for access to nature, in all communities, especially those most impacted. We aim to put more resources towards this goal going forward.”
This mission of equitable access to nature is central to the RPL Everyone Runs Fund. The fund seeks to award populations who traditionally lack access to nature with the support to complete their running goals. Support will be in the form of money, coaching, gear or other forms that allow fund recipients to achieve their running goals. In 2023, two athletes were awarded funds out of twenty applicants. Leading running shoe brand, Hoka One One, is the 2024 title sponsor of the Everyone Runs Fund, in addition to support by other organizations and private donors.
Who Should Apply?
Compared to similar running funds, the Everyone Runs Fund seeks to remain broad and open to many types of athletes with different goals. Baker explains the reasoning for keeping the fund application guidelines more open, “We don’t want to limit our support to anybody who’s trying to do something unique and cool. Funds can be used for anything that our runner would like to put them towards as long as it’s helping them break down some sort of barrier that they have. It could be used to travel to races, for coaching, to tackle an FKT (Fastest Known Time) or as funding to kickstart some sort of projects in their community that are in line with our organizational values.
“With the fund only in its second year, we didn’t feel like we were ready to narrow the fund quite yet. We want to take another year to gather data and see what types of projects are being requested by the community and what types of barriers people are encountering. This year will help hone the future focus of the fund.”
The application period will end on February 1, 2024, and two recipients will be awarded for this year’s fund. Apply at the link here.
Grassroots movements for increasing diversity in trail running have gained traction in recent years. The RPL Everyone Runs Fund joins this movement by supporting those who traditionally lack access to running, similar to other funds and scholarships such as the Born To Run Scholarship and TrailMix Fund, that also seek to diversify a sport that is still dominated by affluent white males.
Diversity is no longer just a word for discussion but something many groups and individuals, such as those at RPL, are taking action on. These funds have established effective principles and guidelines for easy actions that any running brand, organization or event can similarly apply to improve upon trail running’s equitable access for all types of runners.
On the importance of taking action as a global running community to fix our sport’s diversity problem, Baker concludes, “The running community is over 65 million people strong. What a force that could be if we organize everyone in that space and create a sport that can be a common ground among many peoples, cultures and places.”
Learn more about RPL and their vision here.
Watch Shaun Wahl’s journey to the inaugural Born To Adapt race here.
