ABOUT rnnr [ruhn-er]
We seriously love running.
It’s just that we don’t take ourselves that seriously as runners.
We’re not out here trying to set records.
We don’t need pricey gear to get a good sweat.
We’re just here to have some fun.
(And maybe have a beer or three when we’re done.)
rnnr began while we were on one of the raddest runs of all: Desert Rats Marathon around the Colorado River. Instead of focusing on our finish time, we found ourselves FaceTiming friends so they could come with us through the insane scenery. ‘Serious’ runners blew past us. But that race will go down as one of our best because it was then that we realized, THIS is why we run.
We do it to move our bodies, to see new places, and to meet amazing people – including each other.
We don’t run for time... We run for a good time!
You too? Rad.
Let’s go.
ABOUT KATE, FOUNDER OF rnnr
I’ve been a runner my whole life.
I ran then, and I run now, because of what it does for me. It pushes me beyond my limits. It takes me to beautiful places. It’s also how I meet the best people, including Justin, my husband, co-founder of rnnr. (True story: We met at the starting line of a trail race, talking shit. We shared a beer after. We’ve been running together ever since.)
Before rnnr, I was a Special Education teacher and a Track & XC coach. The schools where I taught had little resources to devote to running programs, and an even lower rate of student involvement.
Still, my kids were curious about running. They’d ask to wear my medals around the classroom. They knew running was a big part of my life, and they wanted to know why. So I did what I always do with people I love: I asked them to run with me.
I started sponsoring kids to be part of their school running programs. It didn’t seem right that the cost, the gear, or the transportation could stand in their way.
Soon enough, they caught the bug. They learned how good it felt to achieve their goals. They didn’t need fancy gear or the title of “runner” to be out there; they just needed to know that this was a fun thing they were able to do.
It’s the same thought I had while running that race in Colorado: So many of us see this as an elitist sport, reserved for ‘serious’ athletes to push their limits, requiring big investments in gear and travel. When, really, it can just be as fun and as free as… just getting out there.
rnnr is our way of stripping away the extra nonsense, a reminder that running doesn’t have to be so serious, that it can be for anyone who wants to join in on the fun.
That’s why, with every purchase, we donate a portion of profits to initiatives funding local youth running programs. Because everyone should have the chance to be a rnnr.