Run to Reach

what?

Early in 2019, Liz combined her passions of change-making and adventure and launched Run to Reach, an 18-month marathon fundraising campaign with the goal of running 30 marathons in 30 countries before turning 30 this June - to support local, women-empowerment organizations in each country visited. In June 2020, she crossed my 30th and final finish line, raising over $50,000 for these organizations, bringing her whirlwind journey to a close in a global climate more turbulent and relevant to her mission than she could have anticipated. 

While Liz’s project is an impressive athletic feat in and of itself, Run to Reach has always been about far more than just running. Central to Liz’s mission is her commitment to meaningful and productive engagement with communities whose efforts too often go unsung in Western media. As she ran everywhere from the dense jungles of Sierra Leone, into the depths of small villages in Somaliland and through the uncanny beauty of Afghanistan, Liz sought to shine a spotlight on the tireless efforts of local NGOs dedicated to women’s empowerment and was repeatedly inspired by their drive to affect change despite oppression. 

While the COVID-19 crisis dealt an unexpected blow to Liz’s plans, the final push of Run to Reach was pivotal to her mission and impact. Her 29th marathon became a virtual event bringing together over 700 runners from 110 countries in support for the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The flood of snapshots and stories from runners from all walks of life united through one of the most international virtual marathons in existence was truly a testament to the connective forces of change-making and hope.

WHY?

Being on the move and experiencing other cultures in faraway places has been Liz’s constant source of energy and drive. She turned to running at a point when she felt completely lost soon after her father’s sudden passing and a move to a different country where she knew no one, nor spoke the language, seemed like the perfect antidote to her painful grieving process. 

Running for hours on end became her form of therapy and deep meditation; how she was able to reach the euphoric feeling of self-empowerment and flow.

Soon after crossing the finish line of her first marathon in 2013, she experienced a cosmic shift when she combined her new love of running with her passion for travel—diving deep into the exploration of other cultures while running the length (and depth) of each destination. Her love for running in diverse nations over new terrains has undoubtedly contributed so much to her journey of personal development and self-discovery. 

Yet, there was always a tingling feeling felt in Liz’s gut after each race - a question that continued to feel unanswered. How could she in return leave a positive, social impact on all of the countries she was running in, equal to their effect on her? 

Powerfully inspired by running’s ability to transcend politics, borders, race, religion, and even conflict; all of these new life objections she set for herself materialized into one simple idea: what if she ran 30 marathons in 30 countries before turning 30. She had already completed 10 marathons at the time, so I had 20 left to go in about 18 months. BUT THE BIG IDEA was that in each of the final 20 countries in which she would run, she would raise awareness and fundraise for a cause or charity that was leading some notably impactful work uplifting women in their local communities.

“My Run to Reach journey was never a traveling pilgrimage to ‘find myself.’ I was never running away from a life I felt completely unfulfilled by. In fact, I had embarked on this journey at a time when most everything in my life felt in its ‘right place.’ I am a strong believer that the greatest goal in life should not be focused around achieving a certain level of comfort or stability.  Rather, it is about pushing one’s own personal (and in this case, physical) boundaries to allow for infinite expansion of both heart and mind. 

liz felt ready to take on a project that challenged every bit of my character and my capabilities to listen, learn, and all the while, shine spotlight on some of the leading change makers tackling the most chronically harmful inequalities around the world. 

In our current state of the world, weighed down by looming pessimism and a universal feeling of helplessness, I also hope to inspire others to show them that, in their power as one individual, they too have the capacity to change the lives of others.”

WHO?

The Run to Reach mission was about combining my two passions of running and traveling to seek out effective organizations who are collectively empowering women communities around the world to become leaders of change. 

Run to Reach was a personal exploration of what it truly means to be empathetic in a world plagued by so many injustices. It is about listening, learning, and shining significant spotlight on some of the leading change makers tackling the most chronically harmful inequalities around the world. 

In societies of deep poverty, it is always the women who continue to be pushed to the margins and are held down by social barriers preventing them from leading self-sufficient lives. 

By making sure women have access to health care, educational opportunities, and financial services--equal to that of men, we can gradually start to tear down these barriers that keep half the world from leading their fullest life. Simply put, supporting and empowering women is the best investment we can make to alleviate poverty and create a safer world. 

Over the course of Liz’s 18 month mission, it was an immense privilege being able to work with so many different type of women-empowerment organizations through this mission, whose areas of focus extend from education (CAMFED - Zimbabwe), maternal health (Edna Adan Hospital Foundation - Somaliland), cancer prevention and treatment (4 A Woman - Madagascar), family planning (PSI - South Africa), microgrants (Street Child - Sierra Leone), character-building workshops (Heya Masr - Egypt), entrepreneurship training programs (Empow’her - Cote d’Ivoire), empowerment through sport (Free to Run - Afghanistan), social justice (MONES - Mongolia), conflict resolution (SaferWorld - Yemen) -- all of which are stopping at nothing to widen the horizons for women in these local communities to define their own identities and reimagine their standing in society.

WHERE?

Liz enacted her mission of uniting like-minded people from all walks of life, running everywhere from the dense jungles of Sierra Leone, to turquoise waters in Yemen, to ancient temples in both Egypt and Myanmar, to the central highlands of Afghanistan, and shining a spotlight on the beauty and vibrancy of these countries that too often go unnoticed. With each step, she hoped to engage in the rich and diverse cultures of these extraordinary communities while spreading their inspiring initiatives for equality and social change.

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