raised money for Black Voters Matter.
By Andrew Dawson
Sep 30, 2020

womxn run the vote virtual relay
Courtesy of Womxn Run the Vote

Participating in a democratic government by voting is arguably the most
important thing Americans do. This year is no different, and a group of
runners did their part to encourage people to vote on Election Day on
November 3.

Around 10,000 runners participated in a virtual relay called Womxn
Run the Vote, jointly hosted by running apparel brand Oiselle and
Run 4 All Women, a group based in NYC that engages in grassroots
activism and seeks to empower through fitness. The 667 teams of 15-20
runners each logged 686 miles—the distance from Atlanta to Washington,
D.C.—from September 21 to September 27.

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The event also acted as a fundraiser for Black Voters Matter, a
nonprofit that works to increase voter registration in Black
communities and advocates for protecting voter rights. The initial goal
was to raise $100,000, but the group nearly tripled that, raising
$270,620 from an average donation of $24, on top of the $35
registration fee for each runner.

“Our message is that you matter and your vote matters,” Alison Désir, a
prominent runner and activist, told Runner’s World.

The idea of the relay originated with Oiselle’s Sarah Lesko, who shared
the idea with former U.S. 5,000-meter champion Lauren Fleshman; the two
then reached out to Désir, a Oiselle-sponsored athlete and the
founder of Run 4 All Women. Désir, who has organized runs from New
York City to D.C. in the past, wanted the route to follow the Civil
Rights Trail and include stories about those historic places along the
way.
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Combining this with the get-out-to-vote theme was a “natural fit,”
Désir said.

“The Civil Rights Movement was an effort to end racial discrimination
and secure equal rights under the law; in 2020, we find ourselves
fighting a similar struggle with voter suppression, state sanctioned
violence, anti-immigrant xenophobia, attacks against the LGTBQIA
community, and more,” she said. “Voting in November is essential to
reduce the harm marginalized communities have faced under the current
president and hopefully secure the rights our ancestors fought for.”

Runners who participated followed their team’s progress on a virtual
map. When the team would virtually pass a significant site or landmark,
each runner would be emailed a mini-history lesson.

Of the nearly 10,000 participants, who came from all continents with
the exception of Antarctica and Africa, 98 percent of those who signed
up participated, and they recorded a total of 103,986 activities (there
were 75 possible activities, not just running, that could be logged for
mileage).

In total, that’s 401,838 miles. That’s more than 16 times around the
earth, or a trip to the moon and halfway back!
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“By showing up for this relay, imperfectly as we are, we are making a
commitment to engage in anti-racism work,” Fleshman said in a press
release. “Womxn can come together for more than womxn; we can come
together to fight voter suppression. The evolution of our feminism is
critical at this time.”

With less than 35 days until the election, the group is not done yet.

“We will continue to use social media to share important information
about voting and election day and our ambassadors will continue to
engage in their home communities in grassroots efforts like
registration drives and doing runs, walks, and rides to the poll,”
Désir said.

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Andrew Dawson Gear & News Editor Drew covers a variety of subjects
for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and
editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness,
gear, and fitness for the brand.
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