Change
Ok. It was Monday yesterday. I blinked and now it is Friday. Crazy how travelling for work will do that! It’s not all bad, I was able to take some time and catch up on the brilliant Runners World rebrand.
So, I wanted to talk a little bit about change. There are some super exciting changes happening with Laces and Lattes, including a rebrand which should go live by next Monday morning, so if you notice a little bit of strange activity this weekend, please bear with me. Hopefully when the dust settles, there will be a shiny new blog, some new sponsor logos and a newsletter that I will be adding. Don’t worry, I will do a bit of a run through when it all is live, but for now – you are a rockstar for reading.
I wanted to do a profile on one of my new sponsors, because to be honest, it feels more like a family than a company.
Janji had reached out to me this summer to see if I wanted to try out a shirt. I like shirts, so I said yes.
From there, I read more about the company. How they were started by two runner friends who are my age and just focused on changing the world, one piece of beautiful clothing at a time.
Basically, Dave and Mike were at the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the hottest day of the year.
Because of the particularly hot day, they were not able to complete the competition without the help of the cold water along the way. On the bus ride home, they got talking about how runners understand the importance of water perhaps more than anyone because one misstep in hydration can change a race. The concept of Janji was born – runners supporting clean water initiatives around the world.
This isn’t a charity run where the philanthropy stops after the race – this is an ongoing commitment to raising awareness and helping to change the global water crisis in a meaningful way through every day training, not just race events.
Dave and Mike run the company with the same heart that they have for the lives they support through their products. I had a 30 minute phone chat with Dave and I knew this was a company that I didn’t just want to be a part of, it was already part of who I was. Run for another is their philosophy and it truly is my goal to use my running for good, otherwise, it is just running. I believe in living with intention and purpose and Janji is one of those companies that allows you to do so.
Not just that, but their stuff is off the chain. Each collection is tailored after the colours and specific designs of the countries they support. Each price tag shares the how many years of drinking water you are giving to someone who needs it.
I have come aboard as a member of Janji Corps and it shocked me how quickly these people began to feel like best friends. One conference call and we were chatting everything from race schedules to global water supply. I am headed down to Boston in the spring to race and meet some of these incredible people. In April, you can find me on the course in my Janji singlet, running for another.
In the mean time, I am slowly returning from my fractures and this week I started running for the first time in over a month. After a fall of feeling a bit like I was going back wards, it is exciting to see movement in the right direction!
What does running mean to you?
