The Manifesto

What We Stand For

We are building a runner-led movement for collective power and industry accountability. Our demands are based on data and years of research. When enough of us sign this manifesto, the running industry will have to listen.

1
Pricing
The Problem: Marathon entry fees now exceed what a full-time minimum wage worker earns in a week. Race organizations hide their financials. Profit margins matter more than who gets to run.

Our Demand: Cap entry fees at 10 hours of local minimum wage labor. Publish annual revenue, charity distributions, and overhead. No more hiding how much runners' money actually reaches nonprofits.

Why: We built this sport. We deserve to know where our money goes and whether we can afford to participate.
2
People
The Problem: The running industry was designed by and for a narrow version of the runner: thin, able-bodied, fast. Nonbinary runners don't exist in official categories. Para athletes get crumbs while able-bodied runners get prizes. Slower runners are invisible.

Our Demand: Nonbinary divisions. Para athlete prize parity with able-bodied athletes. Reasonable time limits (not 6 hours to finish). Prize distribution proportional to participation, not just speed.

Why: Running belongs to all bodies. A marathoner who runs in 6 hours showed as much courage as one who ran in 3. The industry's silence on who belongs is a choice—we're forcing a different one.
3
Protection
The Problem: Race organizations profit from our bodies while taking zero responsibility for them. Get pregnant? Lose your entry fee. Get injured month-before? Lose your entry fee. Get harassed at a race? There's no policy, no accountability, no recourse. Staff aren't background-checked. Your safety is not their problem—their profit is.

Our Demand: Pregnancy deferrals with full refunds, no time limit. Medical deferrals with full refunds. Mandatory harassment reporting systems with real consequences. Background checks on all staff. Race liability for athlete safety, not just athlete liability for "participation at own risk."

Why: Races should never force you to choose between your health and your dreams. Every athlete deserves to know the organization won't profit from their injury.