About
A running community that loves the natural world
Runners for Public Lands, launched on Earth Day, 2019, connects its passion for running with environmental stewardship.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization, we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our conservation work and environmental advocacy.
Vic Thasiah
Founder and Executive Director of RPL; Professor, Religion and Environmental Studies, California Lutheran University
Board of Directors
Kate Furlong
RPL Vice President; and Stewardship Director,
Ventura Land Trust
Michelle Libman
Race Director, RaceFox Events
Laura Ochoa
RPL Co-President; and School Counselor, Architecture, Construction, Engineering Charter High School; Sales Associate, REI
Jess Rogers
RPL Vice President; and Product Line Manager for Trail Running and Performance Knits Categories, Patagonia
Dr. Leigh Scarber
RPL Social Media Director; and Physical Therapist and Owner, Ascent Wellness
Liz Thasiah
Program Officer,
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
François Appéré
North America BIM Manager, Arcadis US Inc.
Bryant Baker
Conservation Director, Los Padres ForestWatch
Steve Doll
Senior Vice President,
NAI Capital
Stephen Efner
IT Systems Analyst, Ventura County Transportation Commission
Tim Garvey
Chief Operations Officer, Oneida ESC Group
Mike Scarber
RPL Co-President; Physical Therapist and Rehab Manager, Mission Home Health
Josh Spiker
Owner,
Mile 26 Running Co.
History
Experiencing runner activism
The 2016 Water Protectors Movement at Standing Rock inspired many people, including me. I’d been hanging out with runners and activists for years, but hadn’t put the two together until I saw Oceti Sakowin youth, carrying their people’s prayers and petitions, run over 2000 miles in resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.
As government threats to public lands mounted, Mike Foote’s 2017 Trail Runner Magazine article “No Free Lunch: Trail Running and the Public Lands Debate” called trail runners to step up. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the largest outdoor recreational group in the United States (i.e., runners!) don’t have a collective, national voice in conservation work and environmental advocacy. What?
Becoming a runner activist
So, I experimented with a trail running and public lands event co-hosted by Bryant Baker, Conservation Director of Los Padres ForestWatch, and Josh Spiker, President of Mile 26 Running Company, in Ventura, California, on November 7, 2017; and started training as a community organizer and California Naturalist. Over the next 18 months, I interviewed more than 100 people across the country who in some way connected their love for running with environmental stewardship.
Meanwhile, the example of Indigenous prayer runners – organized by Wings of America, Bears Ears Prayer Run Alliance, Utah Diné Bikéyah, and the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples – covering nearly 800 miles to Bears Ears in 2018 was an encouraging model. Their “Sacred Strides of Healing” honored the land; healed relationships; and protected the sacredness of Bears Ears from counterproductive government and corporate interests.
A community steps up
Finally, on September 24, 2018, hosted by Ventura Land Trust at Topa Topa Brewing Company, I shared plans to start Runners for Public Lands (RPL) with runners in my region. Sketchfolio generously built a website for RPL; Liz Thasiah, Stephen Efner, and I registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization; and we launched on Earth Day, April 20, 2019, with a community trail run and habitat restoration event at Harmon Canyon in Ventura.
Making it happen
Early work by Bryant Baker, Steve Doll, Stephen Efner, Kate Furlong, Tim Garvey, Mark Kirwin, Michelle Libman, Dan Pizano, Jess Rogers, Leigh Scarber, Mike Scarber, Jason Simpson, Josh Spiker, Athena Thasiah, Chris Thasiah, Eden Thasiah, and Liz Thasiah made everything possible. Bryant Baker’s work on environmental literacy, conservation, and advocacy; Chris Thasiah’s work on graphic design; and Leigh Scarber’s work on social media helped us take off.
The vision of runners everywhere giving back by protecting and restoring the environment has guided RPL ever since.
Vic Thasiah
Founder, RPL
Hey, let’s talk!
Runners for Public Lands is a 100% volunteer organization, and a member of the 1% for the Planet nonprofit network. You can financially support our work here. If you’d like to do something like what RPL does in your community, see Uprising, and we’d love to hear from you.