Inspiring Community: Rising Runners

Tucked away in Manitoba, Canada, you’ll find a growing running community called Rising Runners. Founded in January 2020 by avid runner Dalip Shekhawat, this group is bringing together people of all backgrounds through a shared love of running and hiking. Rising Runners continues inspiring community every day.

Community, Respect, and Service

Shekhawat himself is no stranger to ambitious fitness goals, having spent nearly three years training for a Mount Everest summit attempt. After checking that climb off his bucket list in 2017, he was filled with momentum and wanted to see more representation from his Indo-Canadian community in endurance sports. In early 2020, Shekhawat recruited a small group to start joining him on local trail runs. “We did a couple quick runs that winter before COVID-19 hit,” Shekhawat said. “With nowhere else to go, it was the perfect time for people to connect through running.” In just a few weeks, attendance grew from 6 to over 70 members joining their weekly group runs. By March 2020, the “Rising Runners” adopted an inclusive mission centered around community, respect, and service.

Making Running More Inclusive and Welcoming

True to these values, Rising Runners has participated in various fundraising and service initiatives over the past three years. They’ve hosted supply drives for local charities like Wounded Warriors Canada, volunteered trail maintenance days, and even raised $10,000 to send oxygen equipment to India during a severe COVID-19 outbreak there. However, making running more inclusive and welcoming has always been Rising Runners’ core goal. When members range from casual walkers to seasoned ultra marathoners, having a non-intimidating group environment has been crucial.

Incredible Progress

“We’ve seen incredible progress among our members,” Shekhawat said. “People regularly go from struggling through short 5K distances to completing 50- or 100-mile ultramarathons. Having a supportive community around you makes all the difference.” While predominantly Indo-Canadian members currently make up Rising Runners, they actively welcome newcomers of all faiths and backgrounds. Already their membership includes representation from Canadian, Nepali, Malaysian, European and other cultural communities.

Inspire People from All Walks of Life

Moving forward, Rising Runners aims to form partnerships with athletic clubs and organizations throughout Winnipeg. Shekhawat also has plans to expand their regular group hikes, trail workdays, potlucks and running events. “Collaborating across communities will only strengthen what we’re building here,” he said. “Our group might have started small, but we want to inspire people from all walks of life to challenge themselves.” Judging by their rapid growth and community impact already, Rising Runners is on track to do just that. We look forward to seeing how far this ambitious club can run as it continues inspiring community.