HOW RELIEF RUN BEGAN
Relief Run is a global virtual running event founded in 2020 by Samantha Gash and Nic Davidson to support Australian communities impacted by devastating bushfires. What started as a small idea turned into a global movement that connected runners from around the world to use their footstep to support those in need.
On the 30th of January 2020, Relief Run donated $1,134,000 to The Australian Red Cross Bushfire Relief effort. The event included over 19,000 runners from 94 countries from every continent on the planet. (Including Anoop Mahajan, a scientist at the Centre for Climate Change Research, IITM. Anoop completed the event by running laps on a boat in Antarctica!)
This huge success of Relief Run led to numerous media opportunities, including features in BBC, Runners world, Women’s Health, Refinery29 and Channel 7’s Sunrise program.
It is important to note that 2 key partnerships of the inaugural Relief Run campaign amplified its reach and impact. STRAVA, a tracking app that connects athletes supported the campaign by engaging their passionate audience through a STRAVA challenge. Stripe, an online payment platform waived all transaction fees under $600,000 and charged only partial fees for transactions over that amount.
In 2021, we are proud to be partnering with life, health and wellbeing insurer AIA Australia as an ongoing supporter of the Relief Run. We are also grateful for the continued support of Stripe as we prepare to host our second Relief Run on 11 – 13 June, 2021, raising much needed funds for World Vision Australia’s COVID-19 India appeal. This campaign will help in supplying medical supplies to the worst hit districts. It will help save lives and protect families from this deadly wave of new infections.