Cocodona Charity Bibs

Help me in supporting The Redside Foundation for Cocodona 2026!

Family and friends! It's no surprise I signed up for another race, this one being my biggest race to date! If you know me, you know I love the process, journey, and discipline of training for races, as well as growing and pushing past "limits", both mental and physical. So I made the slightly impulsive decision to sign up for the Cocodona 250, a 250 mile race with 40,000ft of elevation gain that spans across a large portion of my home state, Arizona. And I am lucky enough to be running to raise money for a foundation that is near and dear to my heart, The Redside Foundation. 

To me, running and hiking have been my constant for years, bringing me clarity and peace. I started running in 2015 (a whole decade ago) as my family was going through changes, and I became addicted. Being outside is my church, and running is my meditation and prayer. I started taking running to another level in spring 2022, once again, as a way to support my mental health. I was on my third year of seasonal work at Glacier Raft Company, and although the guide lifestyle is often times glamorized, there are of course still cons to living the life I choose to live. 

Guiding comes with a lot of responsibility and hard work, both mental, physical, and emotional. With the guiding season being so short, many guides work 6 days a week, 8-12 hour days, just to make ends meet. Guides often work for weeks and months as hosts and interpreters of remote and beautiful places. They also act as first responders, camp hosts, chefs, porters, storytellers, mentors, and more. This is immensely fulfilling, but can also be exhausting and draining, and the burn out is real. I have seen countless friends mentally struggle from guiding, including myself, and that is why the Redside Foundation is so important.

The Redside Foundation is an organization created to support the mental health of guides in Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming. They support guides through education, training, and support services, including removing the barriers to access to mental and physical healthcare and substance abuse counseling for guides in need. The guiding lifestyle typically does not come with benefits such as insurance, so to have access to free help when needed is a beautiful and wonderful thing.

By donating to this cause, you can help my friends and community get access to therapists to talk to, training to become more resilient, financial coaching for future endeavors, and counseling for all the curveballs life throws us these days. The foundation also provides scholarships and grants for guides to continue their education to become the best guide and person they can become.

Any donation would be so appreciated. Guides are some of the hardest workers I know, and I am so grateful to be apart of this community. They have supported me through so much, and I would love to be able to give back to my friends, family, and community in a meaningful way. Support me crossing the finish line by supporting The Redside Foundation!!!

Double Your Donation Today!

Does your company have a gift-matching program? Check with your HR department to see if your company matches employee gifts. If they do, take advantage of this opportunity to double your contribution today!

Please note that matching gifts must be received 2 weeks prior to the race day to be counted towards your fundraising goal. Donations must also have the athlete’s name associated with the donation so we can allocate funds accordingly.