Hi there! I'm Kimi, and I'm running Tokyo Marathon with Plan International Japan.

This is a cause that means quite a bit to me, as someone who has been working through her own healing, and a South Asian woman who knows how painful and powerful it can be to fight for your voice.

I want to run for every girl who’s been told to shrink, to stay silent, has felt afraid, or simply hasn’t received the opportunity to do something because she is a girl.

Running has carried me through injury, grief, and recovery. It’s helped me reclaim my body in moments when I've felt powerless. Running is also something I’ve been told I shouldn’t do to the extent I participate in it, because I am a girl, and “girls are not meant to be doing such things.”

However, I also recognize that I’ve had some of the privileges of choice: to speak, to move freely, to attend the number 1 public university in the world, to chase my goals and dreams. I understand the importance of access to education. These shouldn’t be privileges but instead rights. Yet so many girls around the world are denied these things. I believe in a world where being born female doesn't limit who you’re allowed to become.

I am currently chasing the goal of running the 6 (now 7!!) World Major Marathons. I am truly grateful for the privilege to fundraise for this cause while chasing my 4th star. I hope you'll consider supporting me in this journey :)