Earlier this year, 9 of our participants in Iraq experienced their first-ever hiking and camping expedition to the village of Hartel in a mountainous district near Lake Dukan in Iraq.

The 46th edition of the BMW Berlin Marathon will take place on the 25th of September 2022 and Free to Run is pleased to announce our participation as a charity partner! Through our partnership, we have guaranteed, paid entries for any runner who wants to run the marathon and are willing to fundraise for Free to Run!

Zahra, a Free to Run alumni and former Community Development Leader in Afghanistan, is running the New York City Marathon in November in support of the organization. This is her story…

Come race in solidarity with our participants in the second annual Free to Run Virtual Race! Show your support for the women and girls in our programs in Afghanistan and Iraq by running alongside them virtually this November.

The Free to Run team are currently regrouping after the most chaotic month imaginable. We wanted to update you on the latest developments.

Thank you all for your incredible support and encouragement these past couple of weeks - it has been overwhelming and very much appreciated by our entire team. We have been working around the clock to find options to get our Free to Run team members to safety. After more than 15 years of working in human rights, I can say that this has been one of the most heart-wrenching, frustrating and yet uplifting weeks I have ever experienced.

The Free to Run team has been through many races, but none like this. We need your support because we’re racing against the clock. Our small but extremely dedicated team in the US, UK and Europe is now working 24/7 on the safety and security of our Afghan staff and their families. As a US-based organization, delivering sports and educational programs for Afghan women and girls, there are obvious reasons to be concerned.

You will have seen in the news that the security situation across the country has deteriorated significantly over the past few days and weeks with the Taliban making sweeping territorial gains across the country. Operating in Afghanistan over the last seven years has never been easy, but the current situation brings new and immense challenges. We do not believe, however, that they will be insurmountable. We are not giving up.

Free to Run is looking to grow our team! We are proud and excited to announce the launch of our new Ambassador program! We are searching for passionate individuals who love the outdoors and believe in the power of sport as a driver for positive change and equality. Whether you are a runner or a walker, a skier or a mountain biker, a professional or a weekend warrior, we love all types of athletes!

Free to Run is proud to be an official charity partner for the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon, the largest marathon in the world. Through our partnership, we have guaranteed, paid entries for any runner who wants to run the marathon and are willing to fundraise for Free to Run. This year will be even more special as it’s the 50th running of this iconic race.

On March 8th people around the world are coming together to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). It’s a day where we recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It’s also a day where we raise awareness about women's equality, and look for ways to accelerate gender parity. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2021 is Choose to Challenge.

Free to Run is incredibly proud to share that our President and Founder Stephanie Case is a 2020 recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division), on behalf of the Governor General of Canada’s office!

We were recognized for our work in promoting peace and social justice across divides in Afghanistan and Iraq through sport, and for developing female leaders as a force for change to bring people together across cultural, ethnic, and religious lines.

COVID-19 has deeply affected all of us. As Europe and North America are slowly starting to emerge from the crisis, in other parts of the world, particularly those suffering from ongoing conflict or the aftermath of fighting, we have yet to see the full effects of the pandemic. We wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on the current situation in the regions where we operate, and an update on our programs.

This past February, Free to Run organized it’s 4th annual Inter-Regional Winter Sports & Leadership Week for 19 participants from our Western Afghanistan, Northern Afghanistan, Southern Afghanistan, and Kabul programs to join our Central Highlands program to try out skiing, ice skating, and other winter sports.

For many runners, the New York City Marathon is at the top of the bucket list. This year, it is going to be an extra special affair. 2020 marks the 50th running of the New York City Marathon, the largest marathon in the world.

Happy New Year to everyone in the Free to Run community - runners, adventurers, and dreamers alike!

The people on the sides of the road cheering each one of the runners was extraordinary. It was beautiful how warmly the people encouraged you and gave you energy during the whole race, how respectfully volunteers would treat you and offer you water and nutrition. In Afghanistan, we do not have as many supporters.

Would you like to run 13.1 miles from Brooklyn to Central Park, and support an amazing cause? Be part of Team Free to Run in March 2020, and run the NYRR United Airlines NYC Half Marathon! We are proud to be an official charity partner and through our partnership with New York Road Runners, we have guaranteed paid entries for a team of runners who are willing to run the half marathon and fundraise for Free to Run.