Charity of the Month - Free to Run

​We love our community and believe in giving back. Gone Running's Charity of the Month programme will donate 5% of profits to worthy running-based charities.

This past year, we've had the privilege of getting to know Stephanie Case, who gave up a promising legal career to help some of the world's most vulnerable people. She is currently based in Gaza for the UN and founded a fabulous non-profit organisation called Free to Run. Our good friend, Natalia Watkins, is also involved as a Director when she's not dragging sleds called "Gunter" around the Arctic Circle.

Stephanie's goal is to use running, physical fitness and outdoor adventure to empower and educate females in conflict-affected communities. By creating safe spaces to engage in sport, creating sustainable running and sports clubs, and providing life skills training alongside sports activities, Free to Run aims to help overcome widespread discrimination, whether gender, religious or ethnic. 

Current programmes in Afghanistan include university and school sporting teams in Bamyan Province, plus yoga, aerobics and dance classes for a Kabul domestic violence shelter. In South Sudan, Free to Run are working hard to train female sport coaches to organise regular sporting activities for internally displaced persons.

Stephanie's also a gun runner, with a 1st in the ICE Ultra and an unofficial 3rd in the HK100, both last year, and also writes a a rather insightful, running based blog at http://ultrarunnergirl.com/.

If you'd like to support Stephanie's amazing work, please go to http://freetorun.org/ to find out more or donate.