Rising Hearts March Blog Updates
Hello MARCH! And one step closer to Spring time! We are revving up as we have a lot of our events and things coming up! We are so excited for these things to start so we can be in community with you all! We have a lot planned, conversations being had, exciting proposals, and more grants to apply for and search for! We are still putting in the heart work to keep Rising Hearts going. We have some events being planned, more Charity Runner’s coming up for their races over the next few months, potentially a new film, and lots of movement!
We still have the 6th Annual Running On Native Lands virtual and in person event happening which ends on March 10th now!
2026 4th Annual Earth Day 5k and Plogging is live and we are excited to continue supporting our friends at Earth Daughters. If you haven’t heard of Dr. Jessica Hernandez, you should! And the author of Fresh Banana Leaves and the new, Growing Papaya Trees! We have new merch as well. And we will be donating 50% of the profits to Earth Daughters from this campaign as well.
2026 8th Annual Running For Justice 5k, 10k, Half Marathon is live and continuing on strong! This year, we are adding a new team / relay distance | 113 mile Prayer Relay Run for Emily Pike. Emily Pike was murdered and stolen from her family and this world, and her family is still fighting for justice. This 113 mile journey is the distance she was planning on traveling from Mesa, AZ to the San Carlos Apache Tribe to be with her family. We hope this run, finishes the journey she would’ve traveled.
2026 is year to take up space, hold the door open for each other, and move into these spaces together. A time for us to not be loud, but proud and confident in the heart work we do, and build relations with those who see us, hear us, and invest in community, meaningfully. If you’re someone that wants to be part of that or someone that works with a brand and wants to collaborate, please reach out! Be sure to check out the rest of our blog for updates, inspiring running reflections and highlights!
Please see below for updates and community. If there is anything you would like to promote please reach out.
NEXT AWARENESS + ACTION EVENTS:
+ March 1-10th: 6th Annual Running On Native Lands 5k, 10k, Half Marathon | LINK IS LIVE!
+ March 21st: Team Rising Hearts will be bringing a group to the DC Rock n Roll Half for community, sisterhood, and Boston Marathon prep!
+ April 20th: 4 Boston Marathon Runners - anyone running the Boston Marathon already, wants to run for Rising Hearts? Reach out. We can reimburse you your registration fee and offer a stipend and help us raise funds for the race!
+ April 22-26, 2026: 4th Annual Earth Day 5k and Plogging! | LIVE: https://events.elitefeats.com/26rhearthday
+ May 1-6th: 8th Annual Running For Justice 5k, 10k, Half Marathon | Marathon for Justice | LIVE: https://events.elitefeats.com/26justice.
+ June 20-30th: #LetThemRun Pride 5k | Link TBD
+ July 1-12: Disability Pride 5k | Link TBD
We are up to so much! Wopila tanka, many thanks, to all of you for your support, and we look forward to our hearts moving forward together.
- Rising Hearts
I Remember Lunar New Year, a poem
Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, RWP Athlete Advocate
I remember spring time
When the nights were still long
When adults whispered that Nian was coming
A mythical creature, a monster of kind
Making its way to villages, for chickens, pigs and
if lucky, some leftover prawn
Thousands of years ago, that was the beginning of a new
tradition, celebrating the dawn of a new year
by scaring away Nian
with firecrackers, red colors and neighbors gathering
I remember my cracked red cheeks just before spring
took hold
The tip of my nose
Perhaps the coldest of all
Wearing a hand-me-down red jacket, elbow
all worn, at ten years old
My daughter is that age now
Celebrating Lunar New Year at her school
Wearing brand new red cropped jackets
The latest spring style
I remember all my long runs
with a cold tip of my nose
I remember preparing for our own
celebration, with steamed fish and red
envelopes
And trips to the Huntington
I remember feeling that bliss
for a new tradition
And with the same kind of
Love
UPCOMING RUNS
+ When: March 01 - 11, 2026
+ Last Day to Register: March 11, 2026 by 11:59pm EST
+ Where: Virtual
+ In Person: Remaining - San Juan Capistrano, CA; Austin TX; Philadelphia, PA; and Albuquerque, NM
+ Land Acknowledgement: Add the Indigenous lands to your bib!
+ Create or Join a virtual team
+ INCENTIVES: Join virtual team RISING HEARTS for 4 of you to have a chance at winning a pair of On running shoes, and 4 of you to win Rising Hearts merch.
+ Options to JUST donate
+ Move, meditate, walk, swim, bike, run, roll with Rising Hearts!
Beneficiaries:
+ You Belong Outdoors
+ Rising Hearts
+ Moccasin Running
+ The Healthy O’odham Promotion Program
FUNDRAISING UPDATES:
So far, thanks to YOU, we have raised $4,233 and have 177 participants!
2026 RUNNING ON NATIVE LANDS SHIRTS
We have our new 2026 Running on Native Lands look - available for purchase! 3 different options, all unisex fit.
TEAM RISING HEARTS
Our community runners, who ran in the DC Rock n Roll Half Marathon! They have helped promote Rising Hearts and some of them have helped fundraise for the heart work we are grateful to keep doing. This year, Team Rising Hearts has 5 runners we are supporting at the 130th Boston Marathon - Cali Curley, Mel Devoney, Lace Coughlin, Brandon Dugi and Jordan Whetstone. Let’s cheer them on March 21st!
Let’s celebrate these amazing humans, inspiring community runners, who are running the Boston Marathon! They have helped promote Rising Hearts and some of them have helped fundraise for the heart work we are grateful to keep doing. This year, Team Rising Hearts has 4 runners for the 130th Boston Marathon - Mel Devoney, Ashleigh Thompson, Caroline Sekaquaptewa, and Jordan Whetstone. This team has a fundraising goal of $7,000 for Rising Hearts to keep supporting the heart work.
We have a handful of runners who have helped fundraise for us! No matter large or small, that financial support has it’s place to be and support in the heart work we do!
CALL FOR RUNNERS: If you’re running the Boston Marathon and would like to join our team and help us raise funds, please reach out! info@rising-hearts.org
RUN REFLECTIONS
Ashleigh Thompson, Charity Bib Runner
Although it was a rainy and muddy weekend, I had a blast at the Tarawera T50 (50k). It was my first international race, and I loved the involvement of the Maori people, including in the opening ceremony and race start and finish lines. Despite difficult racing conditions, I fueled and hydrated well, paced myself, stayed safe, and enjoyed the beauty and community of Rotorua.
Karla Estudillo Fuentes, Charity Bib Runner
The Sin Miedo Trail Runners are a BIPOC-focused trail group running on Cherokee, Shawnee, Yuchi, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek people land in Nashville, Tennessee. On Sunday, March 1st a group of nearly 30 of their runners came together to run a trail 5k for the virtual Running on Native Lands initiative by Rising Hearts. This group makes trail running a welcoming space by bringing together different age groups, ethnicities, languages, country backgrounds, and ensuring that everyone feels like family. For this event, the race captain, Gabe Marrero, asked me to open the space in a good way with a land acknowledgment and reminder that the land and its creatures are also our relatives. As we started the race, the joy was palpable. I heard laughter, encouragement, and though it was a 5K race and everyone had bibs on, it was truly a non-competitive run focused on community. With each step, I saw people taking care of one another, checking in on each other, and as we finished the cheer squad only grew. Every runner was clapped in with the same enthusiasm no matter what time or place they came in. After the run, the Sin Miedo family took it to the next level by hosting a homemade breakfast for everyone. Jokes were flying over a table of farm-raised scrambled eggs, delicious black beans, and fresh quesadillas from the open grill. Riveting stories filled the air of races won and races DNFed. Each person shared their love of running and movement not from a place of pride, but from a place of happiness for each other's goals and accomplishments. I was so grateful to be in this space that reminded me of why I love trail running and why community is so important to our sense of belonging in it.
Sin Miedo is committed to learning from the land they run on every day. Together, we recognized that all land we run on has a story and a people who cared for it long before the ongoing story of colonization. Indigenous peoples are still here and it is our collective responsibility to honor history, present, and future in every step we take and in advocacy for Native rights. Together we ran in gratitude to the land and used our movement as medicine in this tumultuous time.
THE NEW LOOK + COLLABORATION
THE GOAL: 400 RISING HEARTS SHIRTS PURCHASED!
With your help, we can raise $2,523 - $5,213 to continue investing in community and the special projects we are currently doing and hope to do!
We also updated color options and varieties for our other RH shirts and hoodies from 2025.
Our campaign via Bonfire is 5 days. Once it ends, it will take up to 20 days to receive your shirt!
2026 Wishlist List:
+ Submit 10 applications and hope we get 5!
+ Looking for sponsorships of our events / runners - please reach out for partnerships / sponsorships!
+ Fund the founder’s position for at least part-time work since the amount of work has increased
+ Create 1 more film - fully funded
+ Create commercial / storytelling opportunities with brands featuring community!
+ Increase representation of Indigenous runners, Charity Runners, and our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates at more races and events to be part of
+ Send 4 Athletes to the Boston Marathon
+ Send 2 Athletes to the NYC Marathon
+ Send 20 Athletes to the Every Woman’s Marathon
+ 2026 The Running Event in San Antonio, TX - we are seeking sponsorships to send 10 of our athlete advocates to join, RH booth, and host our Kinship Building workshop/panel
+ Host a local running retreat for our Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates in the Fall ‘26
+ Host local running retreat with 2025 Every Woman’s Marathon runner’s in Spring/Summer ’26
+ Bring 8 runners to the Washington DC Run JUNETEENTH event on June 13, 2026
+ Organize our virtual/in person run/walk/movement events!
+ 10 Charity Bib runners for Rising Hearts with our partner, The Wander Project (see below for more information on how to become one!)
+ 35 charity runners for Rising Hearts for any race of their choosing / dedicating their race to Rising Hearts as a fundraiser with our RH Charity runner GiveLively link that any runner / athlete can use to raise funds for by creating own account - Each runner will receive a Rising Hearts singlet, GUdies, and if needed, free pair of shoes!
RISING HEARTS:
We are an Indigenous led organization, elevating community voices through meaningful kinship, movement, advocacy and storytelling.
We empower communities by fostering intersectional collaboration, promoting cultural resilience, joy and creating meaningful change for the next generations. Through our programs, we inspire collective action, elevate Indigenous and community centered narratives, creating safe and supportive spaces, continuously learn and show up how we can, and mobilize support for those in need.
Much of the heart work we prioritize is cultivating kinship with brands, companies and groups, while creating meaningful collaborations with the Rising Hearts athletes, community partners and broader movement community.
Our Programs:
Running On Native Lands Initiative
Running With Purpose Athlete Advocates
Rising Hearts Stories | Filmmaking
Virtual Movement Events | Race Organizing
Charity Runners for Rising Hearts
Workshops / Panels and DEI Consultations
Learn more about our programs we have and what we consult on and collaborate on. We’ve received a few small grants to support our work for which allows us to compensate our teachers and voices we amplify through our programming and supporting our Athlete Advocates.
Wopila tanka, many thanks!
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Meet DeAndra!
DeAndra Hodge (Dee-On-druh) is an illustrator and designer based in Washington D.C. who graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the University of Montevallo.
She loves projects that showcase the importance of community, culture, history, and education.
She is best known as the illustrator of the That Girl Lay Lay, and Beyond the Game series, as well as Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark (Macmillan) and Tell Me About Juneteenth (Macmillan).
Rising Hearts became friends and connected with DeAndra who is the illustrator of a children’s book about Jordan Marie Whetstone, “Beyond The Game - Athletes Change The Game: Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone.”
What has it been like for you to collaborate with Rising Hearts?
”Collaborating with Rising Hearts has been a wonderful experience! I was so excited when Jordan asked me to work on this project. Not only is it great to work with a client that aligns with my values, it's even better when communication is so clear and concise. Truly, one of the best client experiences I’ve had!”
What was your approach to this special and empowering design?
”For every design, I always like to learn as much as I can about the client, what they like, what they don’t like, and what story they want to tell with the design. I found the phrases “Be A Good Relative” central to creating this design. It helped me stay focused on the overall visual theme so I could create something that felt true to Rising Hearts.”
What does being an illustrator mean to you?
”I love it more than anything! It’s a job I take seriously, since we get to use our skills to represent our real world and the people in it. In order to do that well, we have to be open and learn as much as we can about the world around us. It’s so much fun, and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do this for a living.”
What are you looking forward to in 2026?
”New opportunities, making new friends and spending time with old ones, and exploring as many new places as I can! “
‘26 Charity Runners | SoCal Ragnar Relay
What led to this team for Ragnar Relay?
The shared values of Good Day Run Club and Mohawk Wellness Collective are to foster a truly welcoming, accepting and uplifting community for athletes of all levels. When we signed up for the Ragnar relay, our goals were to 1) have the best girl's trip ever, and 2) demonstrate what our club stands for.
Why fundraise for Rising Hearts?
It was a no-brainer to partner with Rising Hearts, since it aligns with our values around physical, mental and social wellness. We are a diverse group of ladies that elevate and empower each other, and we want to do the same for the broader Rising Hearts community.
How excited are you about this opportunity?
So stoked! This is the first Ragnar relay for many of us, and our first race as a team. We can't wait to see how powerful we are together!
Running mantra?
"On good days and bad days, every day is a good day to run with your girls!"
Let’s cheer this team at the SoCal Ragnar Relay!
Race: SoCal Ragnar Relay | April
Fundraising goal: $2,000
Funds Raised: $775
RUN FOR RISING HEARTS
RUN WITH US!
Currently, we have 25 charity runner’s Rising Hearts with $4,586 raised of the $30,000 2026 goal! We have a SoCal Ragnar Relay team of 12, with 6 of those runner’s raising $2,000 for Rising Hearts! And 4 runners for the Rising Hearts Boston Marathon team raising $7,000!
In 2025, we had 37 runners dedicating their run / race to Rising Hearts! We met our goal of $36,000! And in 2024, we had 5 California International Marathon runners as well, with $2,500 raised!
All of this was possible because we made a new option available since we had a handful of runners reach 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. Thank you!
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 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!
Reach out to us via email, info@rising-hearts.org. Share with us your plans, then we’ll set you up with the link!
Want to run for Rising Hearts?
This is more new for us! We have a givelively link specifically for runners/individuals, who want to raise funds for the heart work we do! If it’s not through our partnership with The Wander Project, or our other partners at CIM or Boston, you can run for Rising Hearts at any race you choose and bring more fun and purpose to your why and the run.
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.
GOALS FOR 2026:
We hope to get 15 more Rising Hearts runners for 2026 and raise $30,000, collectively ! And we have 20 runners now, confirmed :)
Suggested fundraising limits:
RH Athletes / Community = $600
Open to Community = minimum $800
Perks: RH Singlet, merch, stickers, fuel, and if shoes are needed, we can help you!
VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON RUN’S COMING UP:
Join us for our 4th Annual Earth Day 5k and Plogging Challenge!
We have some fun incentive perks with an extra $50 donation - check out the website for those details (includes free running shoes, books and stickers).
When: April 22-26, 2026
Where: Virtual + In Person Locations To Be Added
Add the Indigenous lands to your bib!
Beneficiaries:
+ Earth Daughters
+ Rising Hearts
Merch:
We are here to celebrate and appreciate Unči Maka, Grandmother Earth. We are here to bring people together through movement, advocacy, and fundraising. Rising Hearts is hosting our 4th Annual Earth Day 5k and Plogging Challenge (to move, jog, while picking up trash).
Earth Daughters, is a beneficiary of this event. For this t-shirt campaign, we are donating 50% of profits made from the Earth Day shirts to Earth Daughters as well. So, wear the heart work! Show up for Mother Earth.
Join us for our 8th Annual Running For Justice 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, 113 Mile Prayer Relay for Emily Pike!
When: May 1 - 6, 2026
Where: Virtual + In Person Locations To Be Added
Add the Indigenous lands to your bib!
Beneficiaries:
+ National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
+ Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women
+ Justice for Emily Pike
+ Rising Hearts
Distances:
+ 5k
+ 10k
+ Half Marathon
+ 113 MILE Prayer Relay for Emily Pike (run the distance she was supposed to go from Mesa to San Carlos Apache Tribe | Do it with family, as a team, as community)
PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO:
Be More Today
Season 7 of the Be More Today Show continues with Stride for Stride runner and Leader of the Chelsea Run Club Eduardo Rodriguez. Join our conversation as we discuss the amazing work Stride for Stride is doing to provide immigrants and BIPOC populations with free mental health services, how running helped him lose over 50 pounds, and how running has given hope to many immigrant families during these challenging times. For more information about Stride for Stride follow them on Facebook, IG @strideforstride_, or visit their website www.strideforstride.org. To support Dr. Thomas' Boston's Marathon fundraiser with Stride for Stride click here: https://www.givengain.com/project/sea....
For all other questions visit www.bemoretoday.com. Subscribe today and be a part of the Be More Today family.
Trail Society
This week on Trail Society, we’re sitting with the discomfort.
In this urgent and deeply personal conversation, we sit down to talk with trail runner and immigration attorney @carustol about what’s happening right now in immigrant communities — and why our sport doesn’t get to pretend it exists outside of politics.
Carolina shares what it’s like carrying her residency card on every run. Fielding messages from athletes asking if it’s safe to race. Working with race directors to create emergency plans in case of raids by ICE.
This episode isn’t abstract.
It’s about real runners.
Real families.
Real fear.
And real responsibility.
Because silence protects the status quo.
Action builds something better.
If we believe trails are for everyone, then we have work to do.
