Entering Year 10: A Clearer Commitment to Movement, Mental Health, and Community

As we enter year 10 at Still I Run, we’ve taken time to slow down and reflect.

Ten years ago, this organization started with a simple but powerful belief: running can support mental health, and no one should have to navigate their journey alone. Since then, we’ve grown into a global nonprofit community made up of runners, walkers, fundraisers, ambassadors, chapter leaders, donors, and supporters who believe that movement matters.

With that growth came an important question: Does our language fully reflect who we are today?

Over the past several months, we’ve done intentional work to refresh our mission, vision, and values. Not to change who we are—but to clarify it. To make sure the words guiding us match the impact we’re building together.

Our Mission: Every Step Is a Stride

Our Mission: To make every step a stride toward improved mental health and well-being.

This is the heartbeat of Still I Run.

When we say every step, we mean every step. The first mile. The comeback run. The walk around the block. The hard season. The restart after time away.

We are not here to measure pace or performance. We are here to support mental health through movement. We believe that progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. Small steps count. Slow steps count. Starting over counts.

This mission keeps us grounded. It shapes our programs, our events, our storytelling, and the way we welcome people into this community.

Our Vision: A World That Embraces the Healing Power of Movement

Our Vision: We envision a world where everyone understands and embraces the healing power of movement.

Running will always be at the heart of Still I Run. It’s how many of us first discovered that movement could quiet anxious thoughts, lift heavy days, or provide a sense of steadiness.

At the same time, our vision centers something broader: movement as a tool for healing and sustainability for our minds.

Mental health is part of everyday life. It’s not reserved for crisis. It’s something we all have and care for in different ways. We envision a world where using movement to support mental well-being feels normal, accessible, and widely embraced.

A world where lacing up isn’t about proving something—it’s about caring for yourself.

Our Values: How We Show Up

As we refined our foundation, we focused deeply on how we want to show up in this next decade. These values guide not just what we do, but how we do it.

Make Space for Everyone

We welcome every story and every pace by creating spaces where people feel seen, understood, and supported.

Mental health journeys are personal. Running journeys are personal. Life seasons are personal.

When we say every story and every pace belongs, we mean it. Beginners belong. Experienced marathoners belong. People navigating depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, substance use recovery, grief, or everyday stress belong. People who are restarting belong.

When we come together with honesty and care, none of us has to face hard things alone. Creating that space is not an afterthought—it is central to who we are.

Step Into Your Strength

We help people recognize their courage, trust their capacity, and take meaningful steps forward.

Strength looks different for everyone. Sometimes it looks like signing up for your first event. Sometimes it looks like showing up to a chapter run when it would feel easier to stay home. Sometimes it looks like choosing rest, setting boundaries, or trying again.

We don’t define people by what they’re struggling with. We honor the courage it takes to keep moving forward. Every version of strength counts.

Keep Showing Up

We honor every restart, every return, and every brave next step.

Healing isn’t linear. Motivation comes and goes. Life gets complicated.

We believe that showing up—again and again—is an act of hope. Whether someone participates in one program or stays connected for years, whether they take a break and come back, whether they run fast or walk slow, we celebrate the decision to continue.

Forward is a pace. And we celebrate it all.

What This Means for Our Community

Refreshing our mission, vision, and values gives us clearer language for what many of you already feel when you’re part of Still I Run.

It means we will continue to:

• Center mental health in everything we do.

• Keep movement invitational, not intimidating.

• Build programs and events that prioritize belonging over performance.

• Grow in ways that protect the heart of this community.

If you’re a chapter leader, ambassador, fundraiser, donor, or participant, this foundation supports you. It gives us shared language and shared direction. It reminds us that we are building something bigger than individual miles or single events.

You’re not just logging distance. You’re not just fundraising for a race. You’re not just signing up for a program.

You are part of a movement that believes running supports mental well-being. A movement that believes connection reduces stigma. A movement that believes every step forward matters.

Looking Ahead

As we step into year 10, we do so with clarity and confidence. We know who we are. We know what we stand for. And we are committed to growing with intention.

Later this year, you’ll see that clarity reflected visually as well. We’re working on a brand refresh that will better align our look and feel with the heart of this movement. The foundation you’ve just read—our mission, vision, and values—will guide that next evolution.

The core won’t change. The commitment won’t change. The community won’t change.

We are here to make every step a stride toward improved mental health and well-being. We are here to build a world that embraces the healing power of movement. And we are here to keep showing up—together.

Thank you for being part of the first 10 years. We can’t wait to move into the next decade with you.