Campaign history
The Runs
On the Ground was built on ultra-marathons: runners crossing coffee and olive country with farmers, musicians, and filmmakers, raising money for projects those communities had already chosen.
January 2011
Run Across Ethiopia
Addis Ababa to the Yirgacheffe highlands, Ethiopia · 10 marathons in 10 days — roughly 400 kilometers
The run that started it all: American and Ethiopian runners crossing the coffee highlands to build schools that are still full of students today.
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May 24–30, 2015
Run Across Congo
South Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo · Seven marathons in seven days
Run. Empower. Transform. An all-women team ran seven marathons in seven days along Lake Kivu for gender justice in Congolese coffee.
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February 2013
Run Across Palestine
West Bank, Palestine · More than 100 miles over five days
Runners crossing the West Bank alongside Palestinian olive farmers — 5,000 olive saplings, micro-loans, scholarships, and a documentary.
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What those runs started
Schools in Ethiopia and women's economic organizing in Palestine were completed through these campaigns; the DRC gender equity programming they seeded is still running today.