Dear RPL Community,

Even my running friends who are usually pretty chill about things are experiencing it, trying to understand why the crises we now face as a society somehow feel qualitatively different. It’s hard to imagine what’s on the other side of everything we’re going through, let alone fathom what we’re facing on psychological, social, economic, political, geopolitical!, AI/technological, and environmental fronts. Of course going for a run can help. But the constant pooling of anxiety, symptomatic of the condition of polycrisis, doesn’t really drain away very easily.

As a first-generation American, one of the best things about this country to me is its voluntary associations, especially those that not only serve their own respective interests, but also act in the public interest. A colleague of mine, Mary O’Brien, explains acting in the public interest as “participating in those processes that promote environmental integrity, biological diversity, public health, and democracy.” Participating in the RPL community’s work in this way keeps helping me channel my polycrisis anxiety for good.

With running clubs and events rapidly growing and runners taking to the trails today in record numbers, we’re at an auspicious moment for shaping the informal norms, the unwritten rules, of our sport—how we show up, what we value, and what we stand for. Meanwhile, it’s been exciting to see RPL steadily expanding its reach at the same time, connecting running inseparably with stewarding public lands, largely because of your support.

Thank you, and let’s continue to get after it together in this new year!

Vic Thasiah

Founder and President

Runners for Public Lands

Welcome New Staff and Board: Naz Ahmed and John Garder

Naz Ahmed has joined RPL as our new Programs and Experiences Manager. Naz is a program and partnerships leader with more than a decade of experience overseeing board facing, mission driven initiatives in environmental advocacy and outdoor recreation, whether through serving on a working board with Treasurer duties for an international non-profit with operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan requiring access to extremely high mountains, or her work leading grant giving strategy for REI in the Sierra-Tahoe region and the Mid-Atlantic. Naz currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Surfrider Foundation’s DC Chapter as head of campaigns. A trail runner who visits local trailheads multiple times a week, surfs on state and national beaches, and skis on forest land, Naz is passionate about public land access and advocacy, ensuring measurable results, inclusive practices, environmental justice, and expanding equitable access.

John Garder is RPL’s newest member of the Board of Directors. John has been a professional conservation advocate for federal lands based in Washington, DC, for over twenty years. He is an advocate for funding and staffing for national parks in his role as Senior Director of Budget & Appropriations at the National Parks Conservation Association, a role he has held for fifteen years. He was a board officer at the Winter Wildlands Alliance for nine years, helping their mission to preserve winter landscapes and human-powered access. He has an M.S. in Resource, Policy, and Behavior from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He doesn’t live anywhere in particular but maintains a home in the mountains of West Virginia in Canaan Valley. He is an avid outdoorsman whose pursuits include but are not limited to backcountry and front-country skiing, whitewater rafting, canoeing, trail running, and mountain biking.

Do you have a love for running, public lands, advocacy, and digital communications? We’re currently seeking a part-time Digital Content Manager. This position will work closely with our Executive Director and Director of Advocacy and Education to create social media, email, and other content to connect with runners around the country about issues affecting public lands.

Application Deadline: January 29

January 13 marked the 25th anniversary of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The U.S. Forest Service’s rule protects tens of millions of acres across over 120 national forests and grasslands from industrial activities and permanent road-building. Many iconic races and trails are within inventoried roadless areas, some of which we’ve highlighted on our website.

As we have experienced in recent years, weather conditions across the country have threatened the safety of our communities, severely damaged trails, and reduced access to nature. As we adjust to the annual impacts of climate events, we recognize our “new normal” presents persistent needs to care for the public lands we love. Unfortunately, the land management agencies we have relied upon for this work have seen substantial staffing and budget reductions, even as outdoor recreation steadily increases.

Supported by several grants and funding partners, including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Athletic Brewing, GU, On, Fractel and HOKA, RPL began the Trail Work Series as a way to address the urgent need for community-driven and volunteer-based trail work capacities by activating runners—a large and previously untapped workforce. To date we have organized 56 individual trail work events in 8 communities. These events activated 719 runners and provided over 2,101 volunteer hours of trail work.

In 2025 alone, RPL organized 24 unique events, mobilizing 318 runners to volunteer 943 hours of work in 8 communities. We are excited to continue offering opportunities for runners to get involved with even more events planned in 2026!

Thank you to our Ambassadors who helped make these events possible! Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved in your community through our new lineup of 2026 Trail Work Series events coming soon!

Soft, custom-color 100% cotton shirt featuring a hand-drawn design by Ventura artist and muralist, Andrew Rodriguez. Inspired by the places we love to run, each shirt is a wearable piece of local art that supports RPL’s mission to protect public lands and expand access to nature. We have four combinations of styles and colors available. Get yours today!