Help Verna Finish What She Started: Her 100-Mile Journey

My name is Verna Volker, and I’m a Navajo runner, founder of Native Women Run, and passionate advocate for Indigenous visibility in endurance sports. I’ve spent the past several years building a platform that amplifies Native women’s voices and stories through running. Running is not just my sport—it’s my resistance, my healing, and my way of honoring those who came before me.

In 2023, I attempted my first 100-mile race at the Dark Anchor Ultra in Savannah, Georgia. I made it to 94 miles—so close—but ran out of time. While it was a huge accomplishment, a piece of me has never stopped thinking about those final 6 miles.

Now, I’m headed to be a part of the Milestone Events Redwoods 100 Mile Challenge in California to try again. It’s a fully supported, all-inclusive 4 nights 100-mile race. I just need help getting there.

✈️ What I Need:

All I’m asking for is support with two basic expenses:

A flight to San Jose, California

A rental car to get me to the race site

Everything else is covered.

This 100-miler is more than a race—it's a personal mission. A chance to honor the memory of my late father, my mother, and my beloved two brothers and sister, who have all passed on. I will carry them with me, mile after mile.

Training for this distance while juggling life hasn’t been easy—but I’m doing it. I believe this is the year I finally cross that finish line. Any support—big or small—means the world to me in these final weeks leading up to race day.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you.