Distance running may be one of the most isolating individual sports, but Ryan Hall and his wife are certainly runners who understand the value of community. They have established the Hall Steps Foundation in order to empower runners and encourage the community to work for social justice. Its first program is the Small Steps Initiative, a nationwide running mentoring program for youth in low-income areas. The Hall Steps Foundation is also earnestly involved with human rights issues abroad, partnering with World Vision to help provide clean water in sub-Saharan Africa and with International Justice Mission to fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia.

Describing his foundation’s approach to philanthropy, Hall explained, “One step in my training is insignificant in that it doesn’t accomplish all that much in and of itself. There isn’t a lot of physical adaptation that is going to make me faster in one step, and for that reason it seems insignificant. However, I have to start somewhere, and without ever taking one step, I can guarantee that I will never improve. It is the thing with which all great journeys both begin and end.” Hall and his colleagues hope to continue to take collective steps towards reaching their goal of ending global poverty.

About Ryan Hall

Ryan Hall was the 2005 NCAA Champion in the 5000m and since then, has remained one of the United States’ most competitive distance runners. In 2006, he finished 1st at the USA Cross Country Championships and in 2008 he set a new record at the US Olympic Team Trials Marathon. He finished 3rd in the 2009 Boston Marathon and while he fell to 4th place in 2010, he recorded the fastest ever time by an American in the race. His wife, Sara Hall, is also a professional distance runner.