A new opportunity to bring joy and reprieve to Afghan girls in crisis through physical activity

Free to Run, the film, has just been released by The North Face and we’re incredibly proud to share this with our entire community. It documents the dramatic journey of Zeinab and Zahra - two leaders from our program who left Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country. The film also captures Stephanie’s emotional journey leading the evacuations of our team members and then racing in a 450K ultra just a few short weeks later.

Six months ago, in August 2021 , Free to Run faced its toughest race yet. You, our global community, rose to support us. Your generosity and kind messages encouraged us through some of the longest nights and darkest hours any of our staff can recall. We are so thankful and would like to share updates on where a few of our evacuated Afghan staff are today, despite losing their homeland and possessions, as a result of that support.

Free to Run began seven years ago as an ‘impossible’ idea. Women and girls running outside in areas of conflict seemed crazy to many. I wasn't even sure if it would work. The challenges seemed insurmountable at times, but the voices of the women and girls, for whom Free to Run was designed, could not be ignored. In many ways, 2021 felt like we were returning to those impossible early times.

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!