2026 Charity Runners July and August
Hello Everyone!!
We hope you are well, in good spirits, and in community as much as you can be! That’s one of our favorite things about the heart work we do, is being able to connect with new runners, groups, efforts and friends. This program became possible because a handful of runners reached out to us, asking how can they support us or fundraise for the heart work we do. So, we created the Rising Hearts Charity Runner’s Program, aside from our partnership with The Wander Project (where you select a race from them, with set fundraising limits, then we receive the funds at the end of the year), and through some of our bib entries we receive at the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, California International Marathon and Every Woman’s Marathon. So don’t miss your chance to run with Rising Hearts! We help reimburse your registration fees if needed, get you fuel, a singlet, and shoes. And, we have no penalties for not reaching your goal. we’re just grateful you chose us and are supporting us in this way. Wopila tanka, many thanks!!
2026 Special Milestones:
1.) 2026: Team Rising Hearts participated in the DC Rock n Roll Half Marathon ad helped kick off the Boston Marathon team’s fundraising efforts!
2.) 2026: Team Rising Hearts had 4 runners in the 130th Boston Marathon and helped raise $4,223 to support Rising Hearts runners, community and programming!
3.) 2026: Mel Devoney and her friends ran the SoCal Ragnar Relay and all fundraised $2,002
4.) 2026: Mel Devoney participated in the Speed Project in March, and was able to get the team to split funds to donate towards Rising Hearts!
5.) 2026: Susie Stephen ran and finished the Kai 70k and raised $862 for Rising Hearts!
6.) 2026: Alex Staten, ran the Miwok 100k and has raised $184 of her $1,000 for this year!
7.) 2026: Liz McKenzie ran as a Wander Project x Rising Hearts Charity Runner at the Cocodona 250 this year! Even though she didn’t get the results she was hoping for, she made it to the start line and showed up, helped support other Indigenous runners and reached her $6,000 goal for Rising Hearts!
8.) 2026: Colleen Cooley celebrated her 40th return around the sun by raising $1,626 for Rising Hearts!
9.) 2026: Candace Gonzales raised over $1,300 for Rising Hearts!!
10.) 2026: Mel Devoney helped raise $500 for Rising Hearts by running in the Avalon 50k! First trail Ultra!
11.) 2026: Jordan Whetstone (founder and E.D.) helped celebrate her birthday by raising $1,405 for Rising Hearts!
12.) 2026: Dynamic duo and power couple, Ashleigh Thompson and Kendall Murie $290.93 of their $1,000 goal!
2025: Highlights
1.) We had TEAM RISING HEARTS at the Every Woman’s Marathon in Scottsdale, AZ - all 13 women crossed the finish line and raised $7,436 for Rising Hearts!
2.) Rising Hearts had 2 runners at the ‘25 New York City Marathon and raised $4,136.
3.) Rising Heart had 3 runners at The Marathon Project, December 21st in Chandler, AZ, where Hosava Kretzmann (Hopi/Diné) also qualified for the 2028 Marathon Olympic Trials! The 3 runners, including Nate Crail and Kylie Bemis, raised $3,840.
4.) Rising Hearts had 2 runners at the California International Marathon, where Blanca and Carlos raised $1,904, and we donated $700 to NorCal Resist on behalf of Blanca as well!
5.) And 24 runners who collectively raised $18,806 for Rising Hearts!
6.) So far, we have had 5 runners complete their fundraisers who have opted to use a link so that Rising Hearts is able to utilize the funds sooner rather than having access in December of 2026. Appreciate this!!
7.) See our run reflections from our runners - many who have completed their races / runs, preparing for more, and have shared their own special experiences, like Lisa Land who ran the Oracle 50k!
CURRENT CHARITY RUNNERS:
We are so excited for 2026 and can’t wait to support these runners! Let’s give it up for these humans! If you want to be part of this collective heart work through movement and community, we are calling for 10 more runners to fundraise for Rising Hearts! Now, we have 27 runners signed up, 6 Rising Hearts Teams at the SoCal Ragnar Relay, DC Rock n Roll Half Marathon and Boston Marathon, DC Juneteenth Half Marathon and, 5 who have completed their fundraisers, with 10 starting their fundraisers later this summer and Fall!
Current Amount Raised: $12,000+ of our $25,000 goal with over 146 donors.
- Rising Hearts
2026 Charity Bib Runners!
I started running when I was thirteen, and I noticed that I actually liked when my gym teacher had us run laps around the track. That love for running eventually led me to run cross country and track all through high school. After that, and as I've gotten older my relationship has ebbed and flowed, grown and changed. But through everything, running has always been a part of my life in some way. Sometimes, it's nothing more than stress relief; exercise, getting outside, getting away from life for a bit. But other times it's my way of connecting with the land I live on; watching the seasons go by, seeing the way the land both changes and stays the same. And yet other times running scratches an itch to challenge myself and get me out of my comfort zone. Lately, I've been asking myself, why do I run? The easy answer, the one I might say in passing or to one of my students, is to stay in shape and for stress relief. But I know that it's more than that. I especially realized during the times in my life when I wasn't running as much, that it adds so much more to my life. Something to look forward every day. A way to see my neighborhood and the land I live on, and to observe the passing of seasons. That reason especially was why I wanted to Run for Rising Hearts. As the years go by, I noticed how climate change affects the seasons, and then affects the land. A later monsoon season leads to the Rio Grande going dry. A later winter than usual means the cottonwoods are still bare in May, or that their leaves don't turn yellow until almost November. Seeing how these forced have changed the land where I live, and how running has given me a way to observe these changes, makes me think of how people in other places around the world are affected by climate change. So Rising Hearts' mission to elevate Indigenous voice through movement advocacy and storytelling is what drew my interest to the organization. I realized that through my running, I had a story tell, and running for RH would give me an opportunity to share that story with others, provide a way for others to find what I found through running, and to run with a larger purpose, to finally answer that question, why do I run?
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $800
Total Raised So Far: $168
Follow JUSTIN on IG: @_justin_stagram_
I was initially a huge fan of Jordan and her misison to raise awareness for MMIP. I knew I wanted to be a part of the group. After last year, I really grew to appreciate the sense of community, partnership and increasing diversity in places that aren't always meant for us.
I'm part of Front Runners NYC! A pretty big LGBTQ running group in the NYC area. Worth checking out for all people in the community/allies!
August is gearing up for 7/26 San Francisco Marathon & 8/23 - Boston Triathlon! Let’s cheer him on!
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $1500
Total Raised So Far: $3553
Follow August L. on IG: @technorunnerboy
I love how Rising Hearts really stands up for marginalized communities. It’s so important to lift those communities up and show them they have allies.
I am a wife, mom of three, and an athlete. I love showing my babies that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Kelsey is gearing up for the Sportsman Tiki Ride, a bike race in August! Let’s cheer her on!
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $600
Total Raised So Far: $102
Follow Kelsey O. on IG: @dailyvayk
My name is Lace Coughlin, and I am honored to run with Rising Hearts. As an Indigenous woman, runner, yoga teacher, and community member, I believe movement is a powerful form of healing, connection, and resilience.
Every mile I run represents not only my own journey but also the strength of those who came before me and the generations still to come.
Running for Rising Hearts is a privilege that allows me to support Indigenous communities, amplify Indigenous voices, and inspire others to move with purpose.
I am proud to be part of a community that uses movement to create meaningful change, and I carry that purpose with me every step of the way.
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $390
Total Raised So Far: $213
Follow LACE on IG: @lacemarieruns
I’ve worked for Rising Hearts for 5 years and every year I've watched our runners reach their goals in running and their races. It's been so inspiring to witness! After watching all our runners cross the finish line at the Every Women's Marathon last year, I decided that 2026 was my year to commit, give it my all and run my first marathon. First, I have a few practice races to work my way up to the full marathon. I'm so excited for this opportunity and what this experience will do for my mental health and my life. Running is in my blood and a part of my culture. I'm excited to reconnect with running in this way and raise funds for an organization that I work for and believe in so much!
RACE: Juneteenth DC Half Marathon
FUNDRAISING GOAL: $2,000
Total Raised So Far: $786
Follow LEX on IG: @lexxsaenz
MISSOULA MARATHON TEAM
Missoula Marathon June 28th
We had a team of amazing women running the Missoula Marathon, Akilah Maya Deernose, Khadija Davis, Makaya Stone, Antonia (Toni) Webb, and Emily Passini! Let’s cheer and support them!
They are almost to their goal of $2,000!! Donate and support!
RUN REFLECTIONS
Khadija Davis | Rising Hearts Charity Runner
This was my first big race and everyone that I had the pleasure of interacting with was so supportive and kind. I’m constantly in awe of the running community! I love that everyone is so committed to bring in good vibes, crushing goals, and having fun. From bib pick up, on the bus ride, and at both start and finish lines, I witnessed people sharing stories about their love for running, saw folks hyping each other other, and saw so much undying love and support on the course and off. It was also so inspiring to run with so many folks of color!! The organization Black Girls Run had so many members in the race and I loved running beside their runners. I didn’t get to meet Cali in the race weekend craziness but I follow Cali on Instagram and have been so inspired watching her running journey (I may even run the full next year after watching her!)
I feel extremely grateful to have done this race with my amazing colleagues! Not even 45 mins after finishing, Toni created a doc with all of our dream races and we’re looking forward to doing more races around the country together.
Also SHOUT OUT TO RUN WILD MISSOULA!!! The biggest event they do is Missoula Marathon weekend, but what folks who don’t live here don’t see is that they play such a huge part in making running accessible all year round. I started running with their beginners running class last Sept and have love supporting all the events and races since. They take a really intersectional approach to running and I love how they partner with different organizations to get queer folks and BIPOC folks into running. I’ve loved running in their Heart Throb 5k which is in partnership with the western Montana LBGTQ+ center and their Ahmaud Arbery run in partnership with Empower MT. I’m so grateful for all the work they put into race weekend and the work they do all year round for runners in Missoula.
Emily Passini | Rising Hearts Charity Runner
The Missoula Half Marathon was my 20th half marathon. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and three days after learning about that diagnosis I ran my 17th half marathon. (A good friend said to me, “of course you did because you weren’t going to waste all that training!). I made a promise to myself during that 2023 race that I would keep running through treatment and that I would run many more half marathons in my future. I kept that promise. Being able to cross off #20 just 2 years out from treatment AND during Cancer Survivors’ Month is something I will never forget. Running with an incredible group of women made it even more special. Thank you Missoula and Rising Hearts!
Toni Webb| Rising Hearts Charity Runner
Running the Missoula Half Marathon for Rising Hearts was one of the best race weekends of my life. It was also some of the toughest race conditions I have experienced. Between the elevation and the rain, it was not easy. But spending the weekend with amazing women who dedicate their lives to making the world a better, more just place and commit to doing hard things made my heart full.
Run with purpose
In 2025, we had 37 runners dedicating their run / race to Rising Hearts! We met our goal of $36,000! Here’s a chance to support our heart work through a different means - running!
Now, we have 26 runners for 2026 and hoping to find 9 more runners!
OPTION ONE: THE WANDER PROJECT
WANT TO RACE FOR RISING HEARTS OUTSIDE OF THESE WE HAVE SELECTED?
Not seeing a race you want to run in this list? Check out all of the Wander Project events and choose the “Your Choice” option. They will reach out to learn more about your charity of choice and once you let them know that you’ll be running for Rising Hearts, they will make sure your funds come to support our mission!”
Athletes who want to support Rising Hearts for a race that is not listed, can sign up for any of the events on The Wander Project calendar: https://www.wanderproject.org/event-partners/ and pick 'Your Choice' for charity and then fill out the form to indicate they want to support Rising Hearts: (FAQ page here: https://www.wanderproject.org/athletes/frequently-asked-questions/).
Reach out to us via email, info@rising-hearts.org. Share with us your plans, then we’ll set you up with the link!
OPTION TWO: RUN FOR RISING HEARTS!
Dedicate any race you have signed up for to Rising Hearts. If you want to register for one, we can reimburse your fee, if needed (pending fee and may need to be added to fundraising amount)! Donation page is through GiveLively where you can create you own account to fundraise. Through this new option, we had 37 runners dedicating their run / race to Rising Hearts for 2025, with $36,181 raised, meeting our goal! And rounding out 2024, we had 5 California International Marathon runners as well! There are no penalties for not reaching your goal!
Suggested minimum fundraising limits:
RH Athletes / Community = $600
Non RH Athletes / New Allies/Friends = minimum $800
Perks: RH Singlet, merch, stickers, fuel, and if shoes are needed, we can help you! We are excited to learn from you and support you. We are here to amplify your efforts through our platforms and help you reach your goal.
Email us at info@rising-hearts.org if you’re interested in dedicating a run and raising funds for Rising Hearts.