Resources for the media
We love working with the media! We've worked with writers from Runner's World to the The Washington Post to the UK's Sunday Times. Below are some resources to help you start crafting your story.Run Wild Retreats + Wellness specializes in trail running- and wellness-based travel experiences that support women's overall health and well being. Our programs feature mindful running techniques that help the women run better while maximizing running's stress-reducing effects on the body and mind. Set in some of the world's most inspiring natural destinations known to runners, each itinerary is an immersion in nature and wellness experiences such as yoga, hot springs or spa. Run Wild Retreats + Wellness is an IATA-accredited travel company, winner of Runner’s World magazine’s 2020 Travel Award for “Best Women-Only Trips” and SHAPE magazine’s 2019 Healthy Travel Award for “Best Active Outfitter.” We are 100% women-owned, a member of Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Ally of the Transformational Travel Council.
Quick Facts About Run Wild Retreats
- Founded in 2010
- Owned and operated by Elinor Fish
- Employs 5 dynamite women
- Based in Carbondale, Colorado, USA
- Operates in six countries
- IATA-accredited travel company
- Member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association
- Member of the Transformational Travel Council
- Winner: 2019 SHAPE Magazine Healthy Travel Award
- Retreats are typically 4 or 7-day itineraries
- Retreats are for women only
- Group size ranges from 8 to 18 women
- Retreats are categorized level I (easiest) to level III (advanced).
- Daily runs range from 3 to 10 miles
WHAT MAKES A RETREAT DIFFERENT FROM A CAMP?
Running camps generally focus on workouts and coaching for building fitness and improving run performance. At Run Wild Retreats + Wellness, our focus is on building the foundation of health you need before you can safely and sustainably build fitness. That’s why our retreats are truly a retreat from your everyday routine and offer you a mental and physical break. That space allows you to slow down, tune in and rediscover what your body and heart are craving right now. Our retreats are enriching immersions that blend running, travel, adventure, education and community.
WHY ARE YOUR RETREATS WOMEN-ONLY?
Not only do women learn differently from men, they see the best results in a learning environment in which they feel comfortable, supported and free from judgement, which seems to work best with all-women groups. Plus, we spend a lot of time together, and part of what helps bring everyone together is sharing their stories, triumphs and struggles in their everyday lives. And when learning new things and traveling in new places, women have to overcome certain fears and self-perceptions that men generally do not.
WHY is mindful running a part of each retreat?
Since our priority is wellness over fitness, each retreat includes elements designed to infuse mindfulness throughout the retreat experience. This includes running clinics, wellness workshops and a style of leading our group runs that reinforces such mindfulness principles as:
- Self compassion: becoming aware of and changing negative self-talk
- Find more physical relaxation and flow in the running gait
- Breathing mindfully to deactivate the stress response
- Improve running efficiency as the foundation for building strength and speed
- Cultivating self-awareness of one’s stress levels and using mindful running to mitigate its effects on the body and mind
what should participants expect to gain?
By having an opportunity to get a “taste” of the mindful running experience at the retreat, participants can take home with them the tools they learned and continue practicing them to improve their stress management and run in a way that is sustainable over the long-term.
who comes on the retreats?
Most of our retreat participants are women from the U.S. and Canada between the ages of 30 and 65. They love to run as part of their healthy, active lifestyle. Many of them participate in running races, though for most, running is a recreational and/or social activity and competition is not their primary motivator. Many come to a retreat seeking more than an active vacation, rather, they see it as an investment in themselves and their wellbeing. They are driven, hard working and very giving. A retreat is their opportunity to replenish their energy and vitality.
WHAT DOES THE RETREAT LEADER DO?
The retreat leader plays a vital role throughout the retreat that is very distinct from that of the running guide. Nor is she a running coach.
While our locally based running guides are primarily responsible for clients’ safety on the trail, the retreat leader facilitates the entirety of the retreat experience.
It’s vital that our retreat participants feel included and supported, so the retreat leader provides specific mindful running techniques and tools to help the runners feel comfortable on the trails, which for many, is a new experience.
The retreat leader also leads a series of workshops through the retreat that suppor the runners’ transformational journey.
The adventure of traveling in a foreign place, running in a new environment and being with strangers offers retreat participants a unique opportunity to embark on an inner exploration as well as an external one.
For some, that may include facing certain challenges and working through them with the support of their fellow retreat participants and the retreat leader.
lastly, the retreat leader manages all of the retreat logistics so that the runner runners can relax and fully immerse themselves in the retreat experience.