[Editor’s Note: This article was written by NNormal athlete and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Footprints, Dakota Jones.]
On February 14, 2025, I will run 100 miles on a flat course of 1.17-mile loops outside Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Jackpot 100 Mile. I will do this to try to raise money for my nonprofit Footprints, which supports people who create climate action projects for their communities. We host a camp each year in Vermont that brings 10 projects to life under the guidance and support of a team of experts in science, business, communications, and many other disciplines. Here is a video from our 2022 camp.
Dakota Jones addressing a captive audience at a Footprints camp. Photo: Ryan Thrower
A Lofty Goal
To raise the stakes, I will try to break the American record for the distance.
I am a trail runner, so a flat and paved ultramarathon is new for me. But I like to try new things, and something is intriguing about removing all the variables that could complicate a race, so all that’s left is the question of my capability. When I ran the 2022 Javelina 100 Mile, I found that I could, in fact, run every step of a 100-mile race. And if you’re also an ultrarunner, you may appreciate my tendency to take everything to absolute extremes. If I could run fast at that race, then maybe I should try to run even faster at an even flatter race!
So, this goal has been in my mind for a while. But I needed something more to motivate me for this. Racing is hard, and the time and energy I put into preparing for a big race takes away from that which I might otherwise devote to family, community, or other work. The idea to run the Jackpot Ultras in Las Vegas came to me during our Footprints camp last fall. We spent a lot of time at the camp discussing ways to use our various circumstances to bring climate action to life. The camps are all about identifying your unique skills and connections that will enable you to bring to life a collective project in your community.
Dakota Jones training to run flat and fast. Photo: Martina Valmassoi
Bringing Climate Action to Life
That’s actually how the camps began. I felt helpless and scared about climate change, and I wanted to try something, anything, to make a difference. I did a few personal projects that took advantage of my platform as a runner. Then, I asked a bunch of smarter people to help me organize an event to empower anyone to use their personal platform to create positive change.
My skills and connections are nearly all in the running world. The fact that I can quickly write an article for iRunFar is a clear example of the reach I am given because, I guess, I can sometimes win races. And before I can no longer win races, I want to leverage this position for something larger than my own benefit. Thus, the Jackpot Ultras and my attempt to break Zach Bitter’s American record for 100 miles — 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 13 seconds, set at the 2019 Six Days in the Dome event. If I’m successful, my effort will create a conversation about climate change and the work we can all do for it. Footprints enables meaningful work on the issue.
Dakota Jones after earning his second win at the 2023 Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB. Photo: Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB
Some of that meaningful work includes The Canandaigua Mile, a running race that addresses water quality problems in New York’s Finger Lakes. It includes a company that turns ocean plastic into socks for all occasions.
A project from last year’s camp has provided bikes and bike lessons to kids and adults in Virginia, with a particular emphasis on women’s riding events. Overall, Footprints has supported nearly 40 climate-action projects around the United States — and two in other countries! — in our four years. Our goal is to continue to support these projects after each camp while preparing to support 10 new ones this fall. See more about our work here!
Can You Help?
So here’s my pitch: Can you help me raise $30,000 for Footprints? Follow along on February 14 as I try to keep a 6:47 per mile pace for 100 miles in the desert, and if you think that’s worthwhile, please consider contributing to our organization. All the money will support our camp this October — the costs of using the space, feeding the people good food, getting us all there, and finding the best mentors to bring these projects to life. And I’m not running alone — a team of Footprints graduates and mentors will be joining me to run a 12-hour relay the following day. They will support my race, and then I’ll support theirs: collective action in a microcosm.
In a time of loss and fear for the environmental movement, when the political tides are set against providing a stable foundation for the resources all people need to survive and prosper, Footprints provides community and support. This work helps people do more than just individual action without expecting each person to change the whole world. It supports people first, and especially those most impacted by the effects of climate change. The running world is our foundation, because this community has helped me feel like anything is possible. With your help, we can prove that anything is possible, which goes well beyond racing.
But it includes racing, too! Check out our Instagram feed on February 14 and 15 to cheer on myself and our Footprints relay team in Las Vegas. If you want to get involved with the organization, here is our website. You should sign up for our weekly newsletter, which brings you stories, news, and opportunities to develop your own projects from home. I love you, iRunFar community!
An outdoor gathering at a Footprints camp. Photo: Ryan Thrower
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Call for Comments
- In what time do you think Dakota can run 100 miles?
- Have you heard of Footprints and the work that the organization does?
