February Newsletter

As this month comes to a close, we wanted to share a bit about what to expect from us in the coming weeks and months! We are beyond grateful for our growing community as we celebrate our 5th anniversary year. Your continual support has made, and will continue to make, all of this possible!

Celebrating Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, we decided to catch up with our new board President and Founder of Runners for Public Lands, Vic Thasiah. Check out the full blog post here about celebrating Black History Month and RPL’s inclusive environmentalism.

Trail Running Film Festival: 2024 Global Tour

The Trail Running Film Festival (TRFF) kicks off its 2024 Global Tour in just a few short weeks. We wanted to thank TRFF for making RPL the official Non-Profit partner of this year’s film festival and continue to acknowledge the efforts of the film review committee. The committee worked incredibly hard to review films and make recommendations centered around our shared values, including inclusivity, creativity, diversity, and adventure. We can’t wait for you to see the films, check out the just-announced line-up here.

In addition to our behind-the-scenes work with TRFF, we are excited to announce that two showings of the film tour will directly support Runners for Public Lands. Show your support for TRFF and RPL on April 19 in San Marcos, CA; get your tickets here. We will host another show on April 24th in Ventura, CA; buy your tickets here.

If you are interested in making RPL a beneficiary of your TRFF event, reach out to info@runnersforpubliclands.org, and we will work with you! Don’t live near us? No problem! The 2024 Global Tour has showings across the country and internationally. Check out the full tour schedule here!

SAVE THE DATE:

5th Anniversary Celebration

This year, RPL is celebrating its FIFTH anniversary! To kick off our anniversary celebration, we will release a beer in collaboration with Topa Topa Brewing!

It was back in September 2018 that a local runner first presented the concept of Runners for Public Lands at the Topa Topa Brewery taproom, so it seems only fitting for this collaboration to take place. Thank you to Topa Topa Brewing; we are overjoyed about this partnership and grateful for your support over the years!

The beer will be released on March 1, 2024, with a celebration at the brewery! Mark your calendars to celebrate this full-circle moment with us.

A group 5k run will begin at 5 pm, followed by RPL x Topa Topa beer tasting starting at 5:30 pm and some sentiments from the RPL team at 6 pm. For the most up-to-date information, check out our Instagram.

Patagonia & Coastal Run Club

Hit the trails every last Sunday of the month with Patagonia & Coastal Run Club for a scenic run supporting Runners for Public Lands!

Join us at Patagonia's Cardiff location at 7:30 am for a no-drop loop run. Choose your distance starting at 3.5 miles, with options to easily extend. All runners and paces are welcome, so come enjoy the camaraderie and stunning scenery!

Plus, fuel your run with delicious treats from a rotating variety of local vendors while supporting and protecting our public lands. Patagonia will also donate swag at each run, so grab some raffle tickets on-site to win!

Last week, our San Diego community raised over $500, funds which will be used to grow this sprouting RPL community further in the region.Thank you to RPL Ambassador Rich Hildago, the Patagonia Cardiff Crew, Coastal Run Club, Bump Coffee, and Mooski Snacks for making this event a huge success!

UPDATES

Strategic Plan: The Board of Directors approved the RPL 2024-2025 Strategic Plan. Stay tuned for details on our focused goals and how we plan to implement them in the coming months to focus our work and guide us in protecting the people and places we love to run with.

Everyone Runs Fund: Thank you to the ERF selection committee for meeting multiple times this month to select the 2024 ERF recipients. We received an abundance of great applications and couldn’t have made these decisions without the input from our amazing volunteer selection committee that included RPL Board members, National Advisory Council members, and both 2023 ERF recipients - Nicole Smith and Griselda Garcia! We can’t wait to announce this year’s recipients next month!

Digital Content Manager: Thank you to everyone who applied! We were overwhelmed by the number of individuals wanting to work with us. Applications are currently being reviewed; stay tuned!

COMING UP

Wander Project: RPL is excited to become a nonprofit partner of the Wander Project Charity Bib Program. Stay tuned for how you can get involved and run an event to raise funds that will go directly to RPL’s programs!

Chuckanut 50k: Are you running the 30th Anniversary of this iconic race? If so, stop by the RPL booth at packet pick up to learn more about what RPL is up to and meet me, Marie, RPL’s Newsletter writer! And many thanks to Chuckanut 50k Race Director, for making RPL a beneficiary of the race!

Colorado Trail Work Series: Our Colorado trail work series will kick off in April! Thank you to Trail Runner Volunteers and Jefferson County Open Space for the strong partnership that is bringing this program to life in Colorado! More details to come.

Before You Go

Thank you for your continual support as our organization expands its reach. We look forward to the year ahead and many meaningful miles shared on the trails!

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