Kate's Lion Pride Run

Hello! We are Carrie, Kate, and Meredith, three educators in Louisa County, located in rural Louisa County, Virginia. Our main goal is to fund scholarships for students who have not had it easy, students who have struggled and refused to give up, despite the obstacles in their path. Thank you for taking a moment to learn about our story. We are grateful for any support you can give to these amazing kids!

Kate’s Vision

I began running at age 35, to show my struggling students that any goal is possible with dedication and hard work. I started small, with 5ks and 10ks, and eventually began tackling marathons. At the start of the 2015-16 school year, I had an epiphany about how I could combine my two greatest passions--running and teaching--to set an example of perseverance and raise funds that could help my students reach their dreams.

Those dreams are often pursued wholeheartedly, despite the shadow of financial insecurity. More than 40% of our students at the high school receive free and reduced lunch, with rates closer to 50% at the county’s four elementary schools. These percentages also indicate the number of students who will face a great need when it’s time to pay for college.

I was inspired to start The Lion Pride Run by my students’ remarkable strengths, as well as their many unmet needs. In my classes, year after year, I see committed, hard-working, resilient students, who have overcome difficult obstacles in their lives and endured for the long haul, yet they are not always able to afford the opportunities they have earned. Like most teachers, I care deeply about my students and wanted to support them beyond my own classroom. 

I didn’t have to go far. It turned out the answer was right on our school track--and that one day I would run 400 laps, or 100 miles, on that dirt oval. It was my colleagues and friends, Carrie and Meredith, and their dedicated, hard-working students, who turned my hopeful idea into a successful reality.

Carrie and Meredith's Mission

Kate came to one of our faculty meetings with a brilliant idea. She would raise money to fund a scholarship program--by running farther than most people like to drive. The Lion Pride Run was born.

Below is a brief history: 

2023-This year, Fletcher is bringing it Back to the Roots, with a run to all six schools in our school division: four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. She is asking the community to run alongside her to see how many miles we can accrue. How far can Louisa run across America? We will calculate how many miles we can run as one family and locate that mile marker somewhere in America. Therefore, we need our Louisa community to make this powerful event happen.

2022-Fletcher attempted her biggest race yet. Every race she has ever run has been building up to that moment. She ran to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. She showed that if we look inside ourselves, we can overcome any obstacle. The run was just under 100 miles and took a little over 27 hours of straight running. Fletcher was tough as nails to get through that run, but she prepared for years to complete the biggest run of her career.

2021-Fletcher took this year very seriously planning for what is to come. She ran a 40 mile mountain run in Douthat state park, called the Odyssey. The race started with 38 people and only 12 people finished. Fletcher was one of the 12 that finished, and she finished second for women. She also ran 50k which is 31 miles in Farmville. This race took her 7 hours to complete, and it was to prepare her for her biggest race which is coming next year.

2020-Kate took the message beyond Louisa County, all the way to the Virginia State Capitol. She ran 50 miles from Louisa County High School to Richmond, making this event more public than ever before. Kate dedicated this run to the students of not only Louisa, but the entire Commonwealth. The 2020 Lion Pride Run signified the importance of education and educators statewide.

2019- Kate ran to all the schools in the Louisa County Public School District starting at Trevilians Elementary and making stops at Moss-Knuckles Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Louisa County Middle School, Louisa County High School, and ending at Jouett Elementary.

2018-GoFundMe reached out to us before the 2018 run, allowing us to reach a bigger audience for Kate’s story--her selfless desire to inspire and provide opportunities for our students. The slogan was “Aiming for 100;" we set a goal of raising $100,000 to match her efforts of running 100 miles in 24 hours. This was a far cry from the $5,000 average we raised the previous two years. We also wanted to broaden our reach in the community. We decided to donate a portion of the money raised to local charities that benefit children in this community dealing with hardships. In addition, the Newspaper and Leadership classes receive a small portion of the money to ensure that they are able to support the run for many years to come.    

2017- Kate set out to complete 50 miles during the school day. She succeeded and her efforts raised enough money to award four scholarships, due to gracious donations from community members and local businesses. She garnered local media attention from CBS and NBC, as well as national attention being featured in Runner's World Magazine.

2016- The first year, we started small and focused on local businesses to collect sponsorships. Kate ran from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day, resulting in a total of about 40 miles and raising enough money to award two scholarships.

With your help, we hope to make the $100,000 goal that once seemed like an intangible dream into a reality. To sum up, our main objective is to fund scholarships for our students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to achieve their dreams, as well as school and community programs that allow the same. Just as we see no reason to set any limits on Kate’s miles, we have faith that caring, kind, good people--from far beyond Louisa County, Virginia--will see no limits to the definition of community.

Thank you for your support! In addition to donating, please share our story with your friends and family to help us spread the word. https://www.gofundme.com/lion-pride-scholarships