GRIT

THE CHALLENGE

Welcome to the Great American Summer GRIT!

We're heading into the heat of summer to celebrate the 250th Birthday of the United States of America by running more than ever.

Whether your goal is 25 miles or 250 miles, we're hitting the pavement together from sea to shining sea. Earn one distance badge after another as you make your way across the map.  The miles will stack up. Your legs will burn. There will be days when the heat is relentless, the hills feel endless, and the finish line feels impossibly far away. But as we've seen over the past 11 editions of GRIT, we can promise you this: you will survive. And you'll be better for it.

Of course, the most important part of this entire challenge has nothing to do with miles, badges, or prizes. It's the community we've built over the years. We're basically family at this point, showing up for each other through every hard mile and every hard day. And we're always welcoming new GRIT runners to the fold. If this is your first time, welcome to the party. You picked a great summer to join us.

If you've done GRIT before, you already know the swag is legendary. Every participant will receive a custom ASICS performance t-shirt and a Fractel hat to match the summer vibes.

Each week of the challenge, we'll also be giving away great prizes from our sponsors — including two pairs of ASICS shoes valued at up to $180.

And then there are the grand prizes. ASICS shopping sprees await finishers at every mileage tier, and for those who go above and beyond, we're pulling out all the stops: two grand prizes (male and female) for the top elevation gainers of the month, and two grand prizes (male and female) for the highest mileage runners of the month.

250 years deserves 250% effort. Are you in?

Happy Birthday, America. Let's run.

HOW IT WORKS

Choose a distance goal from the levels below. Run those miles anytime between July 1 and July 31. Run more if you’re feeling good. Log your miles and land on the leaderboard. Get digital badges and a sense of incredible accomplishment. Join our Facebook group to be part of a community that stays together and celebrates our wins through the warmest month of the year.

CHECK OUT THE LEVELS:

• LEVEL 1) 25 Miles - Hot Dog

• LEVEL 2) 50 Miles - Baseball

• LEVEL 3) 100 Miles - Apple Pie

• LEVEL 4) 200 Miles - Firework

• LEVEL 5) 250+ Miles - Bald Eagle

All registrants will also receive a race bib and access to our Strava club and private Winter GRIT Facebook group where we share our running journeys along the way. There’s where we’ll have our weekly photo competitions, including our infamous face-cicle challenge!

Running outside of the U.S.? You can still join for free and get all of the GRIT graphics and join our GRIT community online.

The mission of The DONNA Foundation is to provide hope, support and financial relief to those living with breast cancer.

The DONNA Foundation was established in June of 2003 by three-time breast cancer survivor, award-winning journalist and Mayor of the City of Jacksonville Donna Deegan to meet the critical financial needs of the underserved living with breast cancer. Our mission is to provide hope, support, and financial relief to those living with breast cancer, creating a world where breast cancer patients are freed from any barriers to their successful treatment. Over the last two decades, The DONNA Foundation has served more than 20,000 families, securing more than $6.5M in financial services and debt relief. The organization has also disbursed more than $3.3 million in support of research. The organization also operates events and programs for survivorship, education and awareness including 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. For more information, visit www.TheDONNAFoundation.org.

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• What is GRIT? 

  GRIT is a Distance Project from Believe in the Run. Runners will be challenged to complete a mileage goal that goes beyond their typical comfort zone– 25 to 250+ total miles for the month. 

• What are the GRIT distances? 

  Choose your own adventure as you see how far you can go through the month of July. Log your mileage on RunSignup and level up along the way as you collect limited-edition digital GRIT patches. Run over 300 miles and earn all five digital patches! 

  • LEVEL 1) Hot Dog: 25 miles

  • LEVEL 2) Baseball: 50 miles

  • LEVEL 3) Apple Pie: 100 miles

  • LEVEL 4) Fireworks: 200 miles

  • LEVEL 5) Bald Eagle: 250+ miles

• How do I submit my miles? 

  You will upload your miles directly to RunSignup. This will ensure you show up on the Leaderboard and you can keep track of your progress! For details, click HERE. 

• How do I win prizes? 

  Everyone who registers for GRIT with a U.S. shipping address is eligible to win weekly prizes from our sponsors and partners. The earlier you register, and the farther you run, the more chances you have to win!

• How do I download my race bib?  

  After you register, you can access your bibs from the RunSignup Profile (https://runsignup.com/Profile) by clicking > Upcoming Events > Pre-Race Bib.

• What else do I get with my registration? 

  All participants who complete the challenge will receive a custom ASICS t-shirt, fractal hat, and Summer GRIT event stickers. You’ll also be entered immediately into the weekly and grand prizes. 

• What prizes can I win?

  Weekly prize raffles include ASICS footwear. Winners will be notified via email, so make sure to check all GRIT emails to see if you won! NOTE: winners may be asked to provide distance verification results to claim their prize(s). For a full list of prizes and rules, please view the GRIT Official Sweepstakes Rules.

• What happens if I can’t complete my distance?

  If you can’t complete your distance goal in July, you’ll still get your gear (after all, you did pay for it), but you may not be eligible for the prize packs in your distance tier. Grand prizes will be subject to distance verification in order to reward those who complete their goal.

• When will the swag be sent?

  Swag bundles will be sent out 3 weeks after the event starts on July 1, 2026. Processing and shipping take time, so please be patient. We have one person packing and shipping all orders, so it takes some time! 

• Why am I not getting the Grit emails? 

          First, ensure you didn't opt out of the emails during registration. Second, make sure you are on our email list on www.believeintherun.com

WEEKLY PRIZES 

Every week of July, we'll be giving away two (2) pairs of ASICS shoes with a value of no more than one hundred and eighty dollars ($180.00), subject to availability.

OVERALL GRAND PRIZES

At the end of July, we'll also be giving away ten (10) Grand Prizes, including an ASICS Shopping Spree ($200 - $400).

• LEVEL 1: One (1) $200 USD ASICS shopping spree, $100 Gift Card to Running Warehouse 
• LEVEL 2: One (1) $250 USD ASICS shopping spree, $150 Gift Card to Running Warehouse 
• LEVEL 3: One (1) $300 USD ASICS shopping spree, $200 Gift Card to Running Warehouse 
• LEVEL 4: One (1) $350 USD ASICS shopping spree, $250 Gift Card to Running Warehouse 
• LEVEL 5: One (1) $400 USD ASICS Shopping spree, $300 Gift Card to Running Warehouse 

GRAND PRIZE FOR HIGHEST ELEVATION & MOST MILES  

The top participants who log the most elevation* and most miles* during July will win Gift Cards to Running Warehouse! 

• 1st Place Elevation Female: One (1) $200 Gift Card to Running Warehouse
• 1st Place Elevation Male: One (1) $200 Gift Card to Running Warehouse
• 1st Place Mileage Female: One (1) $200 Gift Card to Running Warehouse  
• 1st Place Mileage Male: One (1) $200 Gift Card to Running Warehouse  

View the Official Rules. 

*The winner will be asked to provide elevation verification results to claim their prize(s). 

Kihachiro Onitsuka founded ASICS in 1949 with a desire to nurture the youth of Japan through sports and contribute to the development of society. Our founding philosophy of "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano (A Sound Mind in a Sound Body)" represents our wish that people all over the world will live healthy and happy lives in both body and mind. This has been ASICS' guiding principle for over 70 years.

The social significance of sports -- specifically running -- is growing more than ever in modern society. Our mission―in the past, today, and into the future―is to contribute to a positive and sustainable society and to bring joy to the people of the world through running. 

Running Warehouse, established in 2005, has become a leading retail destination for premium running gear, expert product knowledge, and exceptional customer service. Founded by a collective of passionate runners, our mission is to empower runners of all levels to make informed decisions, enabling them to perform at their best and pursue excellence. Whether you're just starting your running journey or are an elite athlete, Running Warehouse is here to help. We carry top brands and unique gear for road, trail, and track running that you may not find anywhere else. With our extensive product knowledge and deep passion for the sport, we have solidified our position as the trusted resource for runners seeking to elevate their running experience and performance.

• Custom Black ASICS Performance T-Shirt ($50 value!)

• Custom Black Fractel Hat ($45 value!) 

• Summer GRIT Event Sticker

• Digital Summer GRIT Badges

• Downloadable Race Bib

• Digital Finisher Certificate

• Access to Strava Club and private Summer GRIT Facebook Group

• A chance to win some amazing prizes from ASICS and Running Warehouse

More Details about the Men's Swag Sizing Here and Women's Sizing Here

• ASICS Black Performance T-shirt ($50 value!) 

• Custom Black Fractel Hat ($45 value!) 

• Summer GRIT Event Stickers 

• Digital Summer GRIT Badges 

• Downloadable Race Bib

• Digital Finisher Certificate

• Access to Strava Club and private GRIT Facebook Group

• A chance to win some amazing prizes from ASICS and Running Warehouse