Why Kayla Jeter Created 100MilesofSummer

What started as a personal challenge for Kayla Jeter seven years ago has evolved into a global sensation. From May 1 until August 31, 100MilesofSummer challenges thousands of participants across the country to simply log 100 miles. That amounts to 25 miles a month and approximately 6 miles a week.

And to make this challenge even more doable, participants can walk, run, jog or roll those miles.

I met Kayla just after she moved to Chicago and was making her way in the city in her post-professional sports career. Her vision for this summer program has always been clear (and fun to watch): create change in the sport of running to make it more inviting and inclusive.

In our conversation, you'll hear a lot about where 100MilesofSummer came from, the role of movement and community in dealing with grief, and the power of community to help you achieve your goals.

And in the seventh year of the challenge, there are some really big updates - aside from reaching folks on other continents.

• Kayla and her team created a community home on the Circle Platform.
• Kayla and her team launched their own platform-agnostic miles tracker (so if you love Nike's app, use it. If you're a Strava stan, go crazy. You'll just log your miles for the challenge on the tracker separately.)

Resources:

• Follow Kayla on Instagram
• Follow 100MilesofSummer on Instagram
• Join the 100MilesofSummer Circle community
• Start using the tracker
• Read the Chicago Tribune's Feature Story on Kayla's journey and goals
• We chat about Kayla's insane experience taking on Lululemon Further and running more than 200 miles in six days. Here's her synopsis and details from Lululemon on the project.