Stephanie Case is an international human rights lawyer, humanitarian, and world-class ultra-endurance athlete whose life’s work has been dedicated to advancing gender equality in some of the most challenging environments on earth. With nearly two decades of experience in the aid sector, Stephanie has served in complex emergencies such as Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Gaza, where she led protection strategies to safeguard civilians under extreme risk.  

In 2014, Stephanie founded Free to Run, a groundbreaking nonprofit that supports women’s and girls’ leadership in areas of conflict through running and outdoor adventure. Over the years, the organization has reached thousands of participants, many of whom have become community leaders and advocates, transforming trails into platforms for leadership, resilience and social change. Stephanie’s experience leading Free to Run during the collapse of Afghanistan under the Taliban was chronicled in an award-winning documentary. In 2022, Stephanie received the Governor General of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal. 

Stephanie’s impact extends beyond her nonprofit work. She has helped to shape global policy conversations on protection and gender equality, serving as a bridge between the worlds of sport and humanitarian action. As an ultrarunner, she constantly pushes the boundaries in male-dominated races of extreme distances involving hundreds of miles, advocating for greater female participation and inclusion. She leads the diversity, equity and inclusion committee of the board of the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run, and is an advisor to the Pro Trail Runner Association’s Women’s Equality Group. Her athletic achievements are inseparable from her advocacy: she uses her platform to challenge stereotypes of who belongs in sport and to elevate women’s stories on the world stage. 

Stephanie’s vision is bold yet simple: a world in which every woman and girl – regardless of geography, politics, or culture – can access the strength, freedom, and solidarity that sport provides.  

In 1979 Thom founded Marathon Tours & Travel which has been the front-runner in destination marathon travel ever since. His previous professional experience with British Airways, Air Canada and a tour wholesaler enabled Thom to start a career that combined his knowledge of the travel business with his passions for running and adventure.  Thom has been featured in Runner’s World, the front page of The Wall Street Journal, on the cover of Travel Agent magazine, and named the top specialist in running-related travel nine times by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Thom personally led over 200 international trips to all seven continents including Antarctica where he was the creator and race director of the Antarctica Marathon® and Half-Marathon. He also founded the Madagascar Marathon & Half-Marathon.  

In 1995 he created the Seven Continents Club® (SCC) to create a goal of running a marathon or half-marathon on the seven continents. The SCC has evolved into  the premier frequent traveler club for runners with over 13,000 members worldwide. 

In 1987 he founded TOURS (Tour Operators United for Runners), a global association of tour operators that specialize in travel for endurance athletes. TOURS includes over 40 members from 26 countries.  

A former president of the Greater Boston Track Club, Thom has run 63 marathons around the world with a personal best of 2:30:45. He was an active member of the first wheelchair committee to establish regulations for wheelchair competitors in the Boston Marathon back in the late 70s.  

He retired in 2024 and splits his time with his wife Joan at their homes on Cape Cod and the island of Maui. An avid golfer, he holds a 6 handicap and admits that he is hopelessly addicted.  

Tegla Chepkite Loroupe, born May 9, 1973, in Kapsait village, West Pokot County, Kenya, is a legendary long-distance runner and global advocate for peace, women’s rights, and education. Raised in a nomadic pastoralist community marred by tribal conflicts and cattle rustling, Tegla ran 10 km barefoot to school daily, forging resilience that shaped her extraordinary career. 

At 21, she became the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon in 1994, repeating in 1995, and claimed three consecutive Rotterdam Marathon victories (1997–1999). Her triumphs span the London Marathon (2000), Berlin Marathon (1999), Rome City Marathon, and more, alongside three World Half Marathon Championships (1994, 1997, 1999). Tegla held the women’s marathon world record (1998–2001) and world bests in the 20 km, 25 km, 30 km and 42 km breaking barriers for women in sports. 

Driven by her homeland’s conflicts, Tegla founded the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation (TLPF) in 2003, launching annual Peace Marathons in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan. These races unite warriors, leaders, and communities, with thousands disarming for peace. The TLPF’s Peace Academy in Kapenguria educates over 850 children, promoting coexistence through sports and life skills. Her initiatives include “Peace Schools,” a sports and cultural center, and environmental projects like the 2024 Kamatira Forest restoration. 

A UN Ambassador of Sport since 2006, Tegla is also a World Athletics and UNICEF ambassador, an Oxfam peace envoy, and a Laureus Sport for Good Ambassador. She led the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016 and supported Tokyo 2020 preparations. In 2024, she received the ISPO Cup for aiding orphans and refugees. Recent efforts include the 2025 Tegla Loroupe Kids Peace Run, advocacy against gender-based violence in sports, and a Chesegon Farming Project uniting Pokot and Marakwet communities for food security. In September 2025, she partnered with Maendeleo Ya Wanawake to advance water harvesting and women’s economic empowerment. 

Tegla’s legacy as an athlete and peacebuilder proves sport’s power to foster unity and equity, inspiring generations worldwide. 

Esther has led the Women’s Running brand in the UK for seven years. As a runner and a feminist, she landed her dream job in 2018, empowering women everywhere to run. 

Esther has pushed the brand and the wider team to always be better: to seek out under-represented women, to include voices that need to be heard, and to tell stories that need to be told. She has worked with everyone from grass roots organisations to members of parliament to promote equality, diversity and safety. She launched the Women’s Running Podcast in 2020, which has gathered an army of loyal fans, and become a huge commercial success. 

Esther uses the Women’s Running platform to elevate the journeys of ordinary women achieving extraordinary things; whether that’s running the length of the UK or going for their first run. She believes that if we can encourage more women to run, that not only are we benefiting our collective physical and mental health, but we are creating positive role models, and strengthening our global society as a whole. 

Esther sits on advisory boards for the National Running Show the Running Industry Alliance. She has also garnered several awards during her tenure, including an award for Diversity & Inclusivity from the British Society for Magazine Editors, twice winning Editor of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards, and a hat-trick of Best Podcast Awards from the same organisation. 

Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE FRSA is the founder and Executive Director of parkrun, a global health and wellbeing charity that provides free, weekly, 5k and 2k community events in open spaces around the world. 

 
Paul was born in Zimbabwe in 1960 and grew up in South Africa. At age five he was made a ward of the state and then lived at boarding schools. 

 
He excelled at sports, representing his school at swimming, cross-country running and his Province at biathlon. It was running however that captured Paul’s imagination as he became an accomplished club runner as well as seconding running legend Bruce Fordyce on his 8th and 9th victories at the famous 56 mile Comrades Ultramarathon in 1988 and 1990. 
Paul moved to the UK permanently in 1992 and enjoyed a successful career in IT. After suffering a long-term running injury, he started the Bushy Park Time Trial (BPTT) in London’s Bushy Park in 2004 as a way of keeping in touch with his friends and promoting physical and mental wellbeing. 

 
Adding a second event in 2007, Paul grew the Time Trial series into parkrun, with events now taking place in over 2,600 communities around the world every weekend. The concept quickly gained popularity and there are more than 11 million registered parkrunners and counting. 

 
Sinton-Hewitt’s vision for parkrun is to create a welcoming community of all abilities and to make social outdoor activity accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Over one million people have volunteered with parkrun, delivering events in their communities each week. 
Paul has been recognised for his contributions to fitness and public health, receiving awards such as the CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services to grassroots sports participation in 2014 and the Albert Medal from the RSA.