Run, Don't Walk, to Women's March on Washington, Says Harlem Run

A groundswell of support has risen for the January 21 Women's March on Washington, with one recent group of women deciding to forgo the bus trip altogether, and instead run down to the nation's capital.

Mashable reports that running coach Alison Desir, founder of Harlem Run and a contributor to "Women's Running" magazine, has plans to beat feet 240 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C.

The 31-year-old was searching for a way to stand up against Donald Trump's political administration and the negative implications it could have for women, LGBTS and the country as a whole. She decided to show "the awesome power of women" by running to D.C., while raising money and awareness for Planned Parenthood.

"I read somewhere, 'No one person can change the world, but we can each do our part,'" wrote Desir on her GoFundMe page.

"Well, it's no secret that this incoming Administration and Congress have a target on women's right to choose and women's health," she continued. "There will never come a time that I look back and wonder, "what could I have done to protect that right?"

So on January 16, 2017, MLK Day, Desir and a small team of other runners began a 240-mile run from Harlem to Washington, D.C. in an effort to raise money and awareness for Planned Parenthood and the awesome power of women. To put it into context, they will be running roughly two NYC Marathons each day.

They'll will arrive in DC on January 20th to "join all of our powerful, beautiful, and courageous sisters in the Women's March. There will be four of us running, but we'll be running for all of us," writes Desir.

Since the GoFundMe page was created on January 2, more than 100 women reached out, expressing a desire to run. So Desir transformed the run into a relay, allowing people from different areas to sign up for a leg of the run. At press time, the effort has raised $63,754 -- almost $20,000 more than its $44K goal.

"I hope that women will see that there are many ways to be active/political/make a difference," Desir told Mashable via email. "Letter writing may not be for you, calling your local representatives may not be for you, but there are certainly ways that all women can take a stand and have a voice. Running just happens to be mine."

Women across America are making efforts to have their voices heard, ranging from the Pussyhat Project to an additional Women's March that Chelsea Handler will lead down Main Street in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival.