Our Story
In 2010, Adam was winding down his illustrious 13-year professional running career and Tim was returning home to Colorado after teaching and coaching at high schools in 4 different countries. The two had met while running for the legendary University of Colorado Cross Country program, and were still fast friends 14 years later. The idea to create Run The Edge came about during a brief conversation while Tim was visiting Adam in Oregon. They wanted to do something about the way the world saw running and fitness, and they were both ready to steer their lives in a new direction in order to follow their passions. A year and a half later, they released their co-authored book, Running The Edge. This book was more successful than they could have imagined; it became a bestseller when it climbed to 2nd place on Kindle and sold over ten thousand hard copies.
Soon, Adam and Tim were traveling the country to speak at events, race expos, and corporate retreats. At this point, Run the Edge was still just a website, a facebook page, and a book but Tim and Adam could see the potential to become a full fledged company.
In 2014, Run The Edge released their innovative “Level-Up” training plans that turned training into a game. These plans allowed athletes to progress at their own pace instead of following week by week plans that often add mileage too quickly. This unique approach to making fitness both fun and accessible spurred Adam and Tim on. They began exploring virtual races later that same year, and after completing several for themselves (and raising money for charity), Adam and Tim found what would become their niche.
On January 1st of 2015, they launched the first ever Run The Year challenge. The goal for participants was simple: run as many miles as the year over the course of that year (2,015 miles in 2015). Tim and Adam’s goal was to provide an exercise format that would keep people motivated and moving all year long. This single event turned the virtual fitness world on its head and became the catalyst for the next phase of Run The Edge’s rise.
Within two weeks of announcing the Run The Year 2015 Miles in 2015 challenge, over 25,000 people had signed up. The unexpected enthusiasm and staggering amount of people who wanted to participate in their inaugural event immediately launched Run The Edge to the forefront of virtual fitness challenge creators.
Over the next 7 years, Run The Edge continued to grow and innovate. Run The Year was quickly followed by Amerithon, Hug A Runner, and an annual Streaker Series. The unprecedented circumstances of 2020 produced The Un-Canceled Project, which became The FitLife Project in 2021. Adam and Tim have surrounded themselves with others who feel as strongly as they do about making fitness fun, accessible, and an integral part of daily life. As of now, over 250,000 people have participated in Run The Edge challenges. Countless lives have been changed not only through the challenges themselves, but through the people who form the communities around them. There’s even been at least one marriage between participants who met in our Run The Year Facebook group!
Run The Edge continues to innovate, inspire, and include people all over the world with our devoted team and dynamic challenges. Our motto is “Everyone included. Everyone challenged. Everyone successful.” And those words drive everything we do.
