What is StayRunning?

“Stay Running is a 501©3 nonprofit aimed at improving the health and well-being of runners worldwide.”

Our Mission: To protect all runners from safety risks, to educate every person on injury-prevention techniques, and inspire new generations of runners to take on the joys of running.

At StayRunning we are inspiring more people to run as a form of stress management and an antidepressant. From an evolutionary view, adaptivity came from exercise, movement, and in many cases running. When we participate in aerobic activity, endorphins are released in your brain, relaxing you and making you “feel good.” In addition, numerous studies show that aerobic activity reduces the chances of developing dementia, heart disease, and depression. Furthermore, running is directly correlated with improving mood, cognitive capacity, and productivity. From regulating hormones and emotions to improving sleep and concentration, there is no other activity or medicine that produces the same physiologic and cognitive effects of aerobic exercise, running.

Now that you’re convinced, here’s where StayRunning steps in. We organize various community outreach and educational opportunities, as well as taking part in efforts to distribute runner-specific gear to local running communities. These endeavors include:

• Organizing motivational seminars to raise awareness about running and provide training on common running injuries and how to prevent them.
• Collecting and donating running shoes to schools, running clubs, and disadvantaged youth in the community. One of the most important aspects of running, other than the actual running itself, is footwear. Wearing proper shoes instead of improper shoe brands such as Vans and Converse can go a long way to prevent common running injuries.
• Creating blogs and informative material to protect the community from running injuries and reach our goal of #zerorunninginjuries worldwide.

Learn more about our events and impact here.

Our Beginnings

As avid runners and active participants in the running community, we understand the benefits of running very thoroughly. Many of us have dedicated the past few years of our lives to running and we “get” what it’s like to run a personal best of a few seconds after months and months of training. We “get” the indescribable feeling of accomplishment after you survive a tough workout. Ordinary people and people in other sports would never understand this feeling because it's exclusive to running. Our cause, however, is more than inspiring people to run once; rather, its a platform to provide individuals with motivation, community, and resources they need to StayRunning throughout their entire lives. Throughout all runner’s journey, motivation is always one of the most challenging aspects. To understand why our team runs and what motivates them, we asked some of our members to comment on why they run and what they like about running so that you can get a taste of how running can positively impact your life.

Here are some of the reasons they came up with:

• “I like running because it brings people together. I’ve met so many amazing people through running, and they keep me motivated.” -Kaeden Brinkman
• "I like running because it's a great way to relieve stress and meet great new people." - Arnav Chawla
• “I like running because I’ve met a lot of new people and it keeps me in shape. I also enjoy running with friends because it is very motivating!”-Anushri Rao
• “I enjoy running because I feel accomplished after a good run.” -Isabella Bono
• “I enjoy running because it motivates me to stay healthy!” -Shreeya Lingam
• “Running keeps me motivated and reminds me that we are always capable of growth. It’s brought me closer to wonderful people and made me more goal-oriented.” -Emily Chang
• “Running helps me make it through the stressful days, and has helped me develop a goal-oriented mindset.” -Sohum Sanu
• “Running with a schedule keeps me active and helps me build each day around my runs.”- Phillip Cutter
• “I like running because I’m really competitive and working hard with other people through running helps to fuel my competitive fire.” -Yuta Fukazawa
• “I like running because it motivates me tremendously when I’m able to push through a hard workout and feel so accomplished at the end of it” - Carlos Besana

As you can see, we all come from different backgrounds when it comes to our relationship with running. Some of us are workout warriors, some of us are social butterflies, and some of us are goal-oriented individuals. What unites us in our cause and serves as our common denominator is the gift of running. We’ve all grown tremendously as people and as athletes through running and we want to share the gift of running with you guys.  We want to help you realize the potential that running holds in your life so that you not only start running but #StayRunning.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and StayRunning ©