Running On Native Lands Recap
We raised $4,191.50!!! Thank you to all to everyone who participated in our Running On Native Lands Virtual Movement event! We are so grateful for all the support and intention that went into participating and putting on the events in your cities. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU! We are very excited to donate $1,047.87 (each) to Moccasin Running, The Health Promotion Program, You Belong Outdoors, and back to Rising Hearts!
We had 8 IN PERSON LOCATIONS and Multiple run clubs and teams from all over!
3/1 | Nashville, TN
3/1 | Tucson, AZ
3/1 | Pasadena, CA
3/2 | Madison, WI
3/7 | San Juan Capistrano, CA
3/7 | Austin, TX
3/8 | New Paltz, NY
3/8 | Philadelphia, PA
We want to remind everyone what the purpose of this race and initiative is:
+ Acknowledge: recognizing the Indigenous lands and Peoples still connected with them, stewards of the lands, the history, and that Indigenous Peoples are not just the past, they are very much the present, and future. So take those steps in learning how to find the Indigenous communities / Tribes / Nations / Territories that exist, whether it’s federally or not. It’s a time to acknowledge that the lands, are a living entity. Not just lands or resources to take advantage of.
+ Appreciate: this goes beyond just getting outside. It’s about fostering a deeper kinship to our surroundings. For many, getting outside on the trails, parks, running, hiking, walking, is a privilege. It’s not always accessible. It’s not safe for everyone. So appreciating, is seeing beyond that. It’s being able to see the all the beauty, resiliency, and the trauma and violence that once existed and still does to this day.
+ Connect: this is an opportunity for us to disconnect from the day to day, and reconnect back into ourselves. So, get outside. No matter where you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re surrounded by wilderness or tall buildings, take 4 deep breathes, and exhale, close your eyes, and on that last exhale, open your eyes, and see the beauty. Appreciate the history and Indigenous Peoples, the First Peoples. Appreciate yourself. Appreciate everything that brought you here. Your journey. Connect with community. We need it now more than ever.
+ Move: it’s that simple. Get outside, get on the treadmill, get in the pool, get on your bike, your skateboard, your wheelchair, walk in your neighborhood, get to the trails, a park, and just move. Foster a deeper connection and kinship with yourself, your surroundings, and if you can, with community! Move by yourself. Move with family or friends. Move with new community groups!
This was about fostering a deeper connection, through kinship, to be better relatives and stewards of the lands. During these uncertain and scary times we are seeing, it’s good for us to get our bodies moving, however we can.
2026: $4,191.50 (211 participants)
2025: $2,868 (104 participants)
2024: $9,395 (356 participants)
2023: $17,309 (652 participants)
2022: $16,067 (428 participants)
2021: $27,597 (782 participants)
- Rising Hearts
BENEFICIARIES
Beneficiaries:
+ You Belong Outdoors
You Belong Outdooes is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between the outdoors and inclusive, safe, and affirming outdoor spaces.
IG: @youbelongoutdoorrecreation
+ Moccasin Running
Founded by Diné ultra runner, Harold Bennally, hosting the Antelope Canyon X Half Marathon and Mountain Sheep Canyon Run.
IG @moccasinrunning
+ The Healthy O’odham Promotion Program
The Healthy O’odham Promotion Program is a Diabetes Prevention Program under the Health and Human Services Department. We are located in Sells, Az on the homeland of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The HOPP program serves all communities in 11 Districts by Educating in Tribal schools, Diabetes and Nutrition Education, Stress Management and Health and Fitness classes.
+ Rising Hearts
Rising Hearts, an Indigenous led organization, elevating community voices through meaningful kinship, movement, advocacy and storytelling.
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
RH Charity Runners
Rising Hearts Stories | Filmmaking
Virtual Movement Events | Race Organizing
Consulting - DEI / Collab opportunities / Facilitating Connections
IG: @rising_hearts
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Sin Miedo Trail Running Community | Yolanda Lopez Haugabook
This past weekend, members of Sin Miedo Trail Runners gathered in solidarity to participate in the Running on Native Lands Virtual 5K. Before beginning our miles, we paused together to listen to a land acknowledgment shared by Rising Hearts athlete advocate Karla. Her words reminded us that the trails we run today exist on the ancestral lands of the Cherokee Nation, Shawnee Tribe, Yuchi Tribe, Choctaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and Muscogee (Creek) Nationpeoples. Her reflection grounded our morning and reminded us that the land beneath our feet carries history, memory, and living presence.
For Sin Miedo, supporting this event was about creating space for learning, awareness, and solidarity within our community. Founders Yolanda López Haugabook and Antoine Haugabook saw this as an important opportunity for our runners to deepen their understanding of the histories connected to the land we move through. With leadership from team captain Gabriel Marrero, 32 members of our community gathered in support of this event. We are also deeply grateful to those who participated on their own throughout the week, running their miles in recognition of Native lands and standing in solidarity with Indigenous communities. As a BIPOC-led trail community in the South, moments like this remind us that building belonging outdoors also means honoring the histories of the land and the people who have stewarded it long before us. For us, running “sin miedo” means moving with awareness, respect, and gratitude for the stories the land continues to hold.
Karla Estudillo Fuentes
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.
Since my trail run buddy moved away, I've had to learn to trail run solo. As a brown woman, I don't always feel fully at ease when I'm on the trails. Even though I love the connection to land and prefer it to road running, I am also aware of the dangers that can pop up. I met the Sin Miedo crew virtually last summer and in person at TRE in December and was immediately welcomed as part of the family. Though they're a four-hour drive from me, they are the closest trail run club that I feel at home with. When they mentioned on IG that they were going to be hosting a RONL 5k trail run, I knew I had to make it out to Nashville. We made a weekend out of it and I'm so grateful I was finally able to make it out to run with them because I felt at home on the trail and with their crew. Sin Miedo has so many plans to grow, expand, and strengthen their crew and their runners this year and I am so excited for them! I love that their love and enthusiasm for the sport has been a beacon of opportunity for people to fall in love with trail running and feel welcomed.
Run Montebello Run Club | Tongva Land | East Los Angeles
We are in deep gratitude for everyone who came out and participated in Run Montebello Run Clubs run for Running on Native Lands Virtual 5k~
Thank you to Lex from Rising Hearts and Joey Bravo for coordinating this meaningful gathering of soles during our Thursday night 5k.
Be mindful of your runs, be mindful of your running mates, be mindful of the land you run upon .
Alexis Saenz
Last Thursday I was able to collaborate and show up to Run Montebello Run Club’s weekly free 5k run and it was so beautiful! They had so many people show up for the community. It was also my first time running in a run club and I felt so great and empowered. People really are what make this world go round! Our connections, our community!
We started with a Land Acknowledgement and shared about why Land Acknowledgements are important. I shared about the work we do for Rising Hearts and people were so grateful and inspired! Almost the whole run club signed up for the 5k before and after the run! We did some fun give aways too for those who signed up or donated! It was so beautiful and I can’t wait to be back and run with a community that cares so much about the lands they run with!
Susie Stephen | Tucson, AZ
This year, for our in-person Running On Native Lands group run we chose to meet at the Danny Lopez Park in Tucson. The park was renamed in February 2025 for Danny Lopez, a Tohono O'odham elder and educator who dedicated his life to preserving the Tohono O'odham language and culture.
We met on a beautiful Sunday morning for the run. Before setting off, we gathered by the lake in the park, for a group warm up and introductions. We then started a 5km run along the bike path, meeting up at the half-way point to check in and take a group photo. After the run we all chatted over cold drinks and fruit. Overall it was a great morning to meet new people and be surrounded by fellow runners who support the Running on Native Lands initiative. Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed to the event, whether it was your third run or your three-hundredth run! Together we created a running space that felt fun, encouraging and pressure-free, and I hope we can do more runs like this in the future.
Movement Es Medicina, Runners for Justice in Palestine, and Philly Track Jawn | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia was not an incidental choice to host an in person running of the Annual Rising Heart’s Running on Native Lands event, it was a deeply intentional one. This city sits on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people, and to gather here as runners, advocates, and community members is to acknowledge that history with reverence rather than silence. Philadelphia is also a city defined by resistance, resilience, and the power of collective action. For the Movement Es Medicina, Runners for Justice in Palestine, and Philly Track Jawn, it felt both natural and necessary to bring this event to our city in solidarity. By hosting here, we wanted our community to feel that land acknowledgment is not merely a ceremonial gesture, it is an active, embodied practice that begins with showing up in place, together.
Collaboration is the foundation upon which meaningful movement is built, and our partnership with Philly Track Jawn, Runners for Justice in Palestine, and Movement Es Medicina reflects exactly that belief. Our organizations run with purpose and with an unwavering commitment to the communities they serve. Coming together under the banner of Running on Native Lands allowed us to weave our distinct missions into a shared expression of solidarity.
Our support for Rising Hearts is an extension of our deepest values as organizations. Rising Hearts is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to amplifying community voices through kinship, movement advocacy, and storytelling — work that mirrors our own commitment to centering those whose stories have been historically marginalized and systemically excluded. To partner with and uplift Rising Hearts is to affirm that the running and wellness spaces we inhabit must be made more equitable, more culturally resonant, and more genuinely inclusive. We are honored to stand in kinship with Rising Hearts and to use movement as a vehicle for the kind of meaningful, generational change that communities deserve.
River Milburn
Over at You Belong Outdoors, we modified our in-person group 5k and turned it into a “Choose Your Own Adventure 5k” which meant that we had three participants spread across California. One from the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueno Mission (also recognized as Kumeyayy or Mission Indians) in San Diego County, CA; one from the Acjachemen tribal lands in Orange County, CA, and one from the Nisenan tribal lands in Nevada County, CA.
As an organization, You Belong Outdoor’s participants represent intersecting identities within the LGBTQIA2S+ community and many other marginalized communities. We recognize that our Indigenous, Two-Spirit, and Indigiqueer siblings and ancestors are among the most underrepresented, and we wanted to find an opportunity to uplift the invaluable and essential work our friends at Rising Hearts are doing. This indigenous-led organization echoes our values rooted in collective action to steward the land, the environment, and the people around us with respect and authenticity.
We believe that one of the best ways to get folx to care about the world around them is to create inclusive and safe opportunities where they can experience a world that welcomes, celebrates, and supports their very existence. We aim to foster an environment where everyone feels they belong, both in nature and beyond. In doing so we hope to plant the seeds that inspire positive change directly impacting Indigenous and other diverse communities.
Melissa Tuttle Carr | Madison, WI
Our meetup in Madison, WI was more than just a workout - it was a movement! We gathered for our 4th straight year to run, walk and ruck in support of Rising Hearts and the Running on Native Lands initiative. To move in community is to honor our indigenous neighbors and the land that sustains us.
We recognize we live and move on the stolen lands of the Ho-Chunk, Kiikaapoi, Myaamia, Očeti Šakówiŋ, Peoria, Sauk, and Meskwaki people. Land acknowledgments are just the starting point; allyship requires action.
Our gathering was a partnership between Soles United, Team RWB Madison, Ainsley's Angels, and Fleet Feet Madison & Sun Prairie. We are grateful to all who came out and all who support our organizations, and look forward to our upcoming yearly gatherings for Juneteenth and the Madison Gospel 5K as well.
"To be in kinship with the lands, is to be in kinship with each other."
Rosie’s Run Club (RRC)
RRC was honored to participate in the “Running on Native Land” virtual 5K in partnership with Rising Hearts this year! Running on Native Lands is an initiative that deeply aligns with our mission to foster community through movement, connection, and shared purpose. New Mexico is home to one of the largest Indigenous populations in the country, so this event felt especially important to us. We are committed to creating spaces rooted in intentionality, while also continuing to provide resources that support ongoing education and action.
It’s important to us to create space to recognize, uplift, and stand alongside Indigenous voices in a way that felt both meaningful and action-oriented. Hosting this event was not only about participation, but about truly living our values of diversity, equity, and accessibility. “Running on Native Land” goes beyond a land acknowledgment - it’s a call to physically show up, move together, and reflect on the land beneath our feet. It created a shared moment for learning, connection, and collective presence. As runners, we are constantly moving through spaces with deep histories, and this event served as a powerful reminder of the importance of honoring those histories and the people who continue to steward these lands. It reinforced our belief that movement can be a form of advocacy, and that showing up, physically and intentionally, truly matters.
As we continue building momentum, we’re excited for what’s ahead! RRC’s first annual Team Camp at the Grand Canyon is coming up April 24–26. We are also looking forward to our second annual Old Town Pride 5K on June 13 - stay connected for more information about how to join coming soon! You can follow us with the following socials:
Instagram: @rosies.runclub_sw Strava: Rosie’s Run Club @rChat with us on Heylo (think Discord, but for runners!): https://heylo.com/invite/GesQOsSQ
COMMUNITY EVENTS + CAMPS
“Join us for a special event featuring a Hopi and Diné runner from the Village of Hotevilla. Hosava recently qualified for the 2028 Olympic Trials in the Marathon. Hear how his culture influenced his running, helped him persevere, and his next steps. As Hosava mentioned, "My running is not for myself, it is to represent my communities (Hopi and Diné), my family, my clan families, and village."
"Applications are open for the 3rd Camp We Run Long!
Join us in September in Buena Vista, CO in collaboration with @altrarunning @freestoneendurance @trailmixfund
We are excited to offer 18 entries to Black, Indigenous and People of Color runners to an almost entirely free event! (You will be responsible for getting yourself to the Denver airport). We invite anyone who was not chosen for Camp WRL last year to apply this year! Come spend 9/24-9/27 in Buena Vista, CO with us where we will enjoy group trail runs, community, the West Line Winder races, and so much more.
Click this link for the application link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScY-IS7XIX_AOCQj5hD5-bVDAk5RQ8douKk3i9Uu_MNfBkDRw/viewform And, visit https://www.westlinewinder.com/campwerunlong to learn more. Applications close March 31st."
VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON EVENTS 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 19-26, 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 - 8, 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)