Stride for Stride is a non profit running organization that buys race bibs for immigrant, BIPOC, and low-income runners. Our goal is to make races more accessible and more diverse.
Stride for Stride is a non-profit running organization that buys race bibs for immigrant, BIPOC, and low-income runners - our goal is to make races more accessible and more diverse.
Stride for Stride launched in November 2018 and since then we’ve grown to a team of 570 runners from 27 different countries. We believe there's no reason why money should prevent you from getting to the starting line, especially when crossing the finish line could change your life.
Stride for Stride has always been more than just running. Crossing the finish line gives people hope, empowerment, a sense of belonging, and pure joy. Stride for Stride is a welcoming community for immigrants to feel safe and accepted with other individuals going through the same challenges and struggles.
Team Stride for Stride is from; Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Taiwan, Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, India, Turkey, and the U.S.
In 2025, Stride for Stride launched Mental Health in Stride to provide free mental health therapy to anyone on the team who needs it.
Hundreds of runners on Team Stride for Stride have benefitted physically and mentally from running life changing races like the Boston Marathon, the NYC Marathon, Falmouth, and local 5Ks. And in 2025 and 2026, running has been a tremendous distraction from the realities swirling around US.
Running is therapy, however, sometimes running isn't enough. All of our runners are immigrants who have endured the isolation of not knowing many (or any) people in their new country, they've experienced the stress of moving to this country, the challenge of not (initially) speaking the language, and now they are currently enduring the horrible anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States.
Since our founding in 2018, Stride for Stride has been a welcoming and safe community for our runners. We are a community whose team members have provided comfort to other runners experiencing depression and defeat. The team has provided solace to other teammates during dark and fearful days. And, one incredible team member even donated his kidney to save Tom's (founder of Stride for Stride) life.
In November 2018 I launched Stride for Stride to give everyone an equal opportunity to compete in road races. At the time I had no idea how powerful crossing the finish line would be for our team's physical and mental health. I also had no idea how expensive races would become over the next eight years.
During the pandemic we launched Heart to Cart, which distributed over $70,000 in supermarket gift cards to teammates, families, and communities who were struggling to put food on the table.
In June 2021 races resumed (after a year hiatus) and Team Stride for Stride starting growing fast; from just 25 runners in 2021 to 576 runners, from 27 countries, today. During the summer of 2025 we surpassed a significant milestone of $250,000 spent on race bibs since our founding - today we're at $319,000. [click for real-time update]
In January 2025, we launched another Stride for Stride program that was also created in direct response to the current environment in the US; Mental Health in Stride provides free mental health therapy to anyone on our team who needs it.
Hundreds of runners on Team Stride for Stride have benefitted physically and mentally from running life changing races like the Boston Marathon, the NYC Marathon, Falmouth, and local 5Ks. Running has been a tremendous distraction from the realities swirling around the US right now.
All of our runners are immigrants who have endured the isolation of not knowing many (or any) people in their new country, they've experienced the stress of moving to this country, the challenge of not (initially) speaking the language, and now they are currently enduring the horrible anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States.
Running is now more important that ever. However, running is also now more expensive than ever. The 2027 Miami Half Marathon costs $226 and many other halfs are between $150 and $200. Your support is now more essential than ever - we couldn't run without you.
Going forward we would like to add scholarships to our programs so our team can better themselves via college courses, specialty training, and bootcamps.
Why I Run
On January 10, 2024, Tom O’Keefe received a life-saving kidney transplant from his Stride for Stride teammate, Jorge Rosales. Ten months later, on November 3, 2024, Tom and Jorge ran the New York City Marathon together—the first time a kidney donor and recipient has ever run the NYC Marathon together.
On April 21, 2025, Tom and Jorge ran the Boston Marathon together—another first.
Why I Run is Tom's memoir about the founding of Stride for Stride and how somone on Team Stride for Stride became is superhero, his kidney donor.
Why I Run is available at TomOKeefe.com and you can also read our story in Outside Magazine and Runner's World.
Contact Stride for Stride
202 Washington Street, Suite 316
Brookline, MA 02445
617-947-8071
