WHO WE ARE

Let's just do it ourselves…

It all started in 2014 when we got tired of seeing all of our running friends traveling out of state for their trail and ultra-running adventures. We were also tired of having to travel ourselves and take our hard-earned money with us. There were no ultramarathons and very few races in Kentucky. So we decided…let’s just do it ourselves.

We are in this together…

We are runners just like you. We put on races that we would want to run. So we think you’ll like them too.

It was never about running…

It’s about people. It’s about you. That is why we do this. Next Opportunity exists to give people opportunities to challenge themselves. Along the way, we go through these journeys together and forge lasting friendships. Running is just the vessel. What makes us one community are the relationships we form with each other and the experiences we share.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

Equity

We acknowledge that not everyone in our society gets to start at the same starting line. We believe in equitable opportunity for all people, but especially those groups who have been underrepresented and disenfranchised over the years. 

We are committed to taking active steps to ensure there is a place at our starting line for Black runners, Hispanic runners, Native American runners, women runners, LGBTQ runners, and runners of all socio-economic situations. We are committed to doing our part to break down the barriers to entry in this sport and in our communities.

Inclusion

We believe that trail running and ultramarathon running is a community. That’s easy to say but much harder to put into practice. We recognize that many are excluded from this community, and we are committed to standing against that exclusion. 

We believe that when a runner signs up to participate in a Next Opportunity event we are part of a partnership. We commit ourselves to including our participants and supporters in our decision-making processes that impact those supporters.

Kindness

We believe there is never enough kindness in this world, and we are committing ourselves to make kindness a core component of our business. There is no place for racism, misogyny, or any form of discrimination at Next Opportunity Events. Being kind is a core component of the Next Opportunity Events experience. That includes our kindness, the kindness that we expect of our runners, and the kindness we exhibit to our host communities as a running community. 

Integrity

Integrity can include a lot of things: moral character, honesty, etc. We are committed to exhibiting integrity in everything we do, and we expect the same from our event participants. We will always be honest with you and each other. We will be open about our struggles, decision-making, and reasoning. We want to be called out when we do something wrong, make a bad decision, or make someone feel uncomfortable. This is all part of the growth we need to see in this broad community.

Sustainability

We value sustainability in terms of our environment, our communities, and our business. We are committed to taking steps big and small to decrease the negative environmental impact of our events. We also commit ourselves to ensuring that all events we produce create a sustainable, positive economic impact for our host communities.