Alison Desir

Alison M. Desir is the founder of Run For All Women, a running initiative created to support women and provide a hedge against political efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. The movement raised over $103,000 in just 30 days – more than double the original goal. Alison is an endurance athlete and believer that sport has the power to change lives. Passionate about community, mental health and fitness, Alison’s nickname “powdered feet” comes from the Haitian Kreyol description of a person so active that you never see them, just the footprints in powder of where they’ve been.

Named by Women’s Running as one of twenty women who are changing the sport and the world, Alison’s running journey started with a blog, powderedfeet.com, and eventually expanded into a transformative movement known as Harlem Run. When Alison is not running, she is working to resolve and speaking passionately about issues related to women and girls.  Alison holds a B.A. in History, M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Regional Studies, and M.A. in Counseling Psychology, all from Columbia University.