This Sunday morning in Santa Monica, the inaugural Denim Runs will kick off as a release, and a reclamation all at once, founded by survivor and advocate Summer Willis, arriving during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This race is a powerful invitation for those to show up, run in denim, and stand in visible solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. What unfolds along the coast this weekend is not just a race, but the beginning of a national movement spanning Santa Monica, New York, and Austin, designed to transform awareness into action.
For Willis, the starting line has been years in the making. “12 years ago, I was assaulted as a college student at the University of Texas. “For a long time, I tried to outrun it, avoid it, suppress it.” It was not until a decade later, sitting on her living room floor with her two young children, that everything shifted, “They both started crying, and I realized if I didn’t do something, they were going to inherit this trauma. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
That moment became a turning point not just toward healing, but toward action and hat same night, Willis came across the story of Julie Weiss, who ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks for pancreatic cancer awareness. “I saw what was possible; strength, resilience, and the power of community coming together,” Willis said. She went on to run 29 marathons in a year, using each mile as both personal reclamation and public advocacy.
Her work extended beyond endurance into legislation. What happened to her in college was not legally recognized as rape under Texas law at the time; a reality that propelled her to help pass the Summer Willis Act, redefining consent in the state. Through the Summer Willis Foundation, she has since focused on trauma informed advocacy and systemic change.
It was the collective stories she encountered along the way that shaped the vision for Denim Runs. “No matter where I went, I kept hearing the same thing; ‘I felt shame. I was silenced.’” she said. “So I thought, why not create a day where survivors can feel the power of crossing a finish line, surrounded by a community that sees them and stands with them.”
That vision is now materializing on a national stage. The Santa Monica kickoff will feature voices including Monica Lewinsky, Sasha Pieterse, and Lisa Phillips, alongside a broader wellness festival that reflects the event’s deeper intention; healing in community. Programming will include self defense demonstrations, survivor storytelling, live music, and local food vendors, with free admission and registration open to the public . The Santa Monica event is sponsored by Dodulian Law Group (DLG) specializing in adult sexual assault and child sexual abuse cases with a 98% winning record. DLG will be on site to provide counsel for victims: www.dlawgroup.cim
Behind the scenes, the effort has been years in the making. “For more than two years, this has been a fully self funded effort,” said Laurence Cohen, who has worked closely on the initiative’s growth. “What started as one woman’s story has evolved into something much bigger than all of us.”
Cohen traces part of that evolution back to Weiss, who initially connected him with Willis. “When Summer read Julie’s story and reached out, none of us knew it would culminate in a national movement,” he said. “Denim Runs was inspired by Denim Day, but this is about extending that mission; creating an experience that celebrates the resilience and courage of survivors; men, women, and children.”
That expansion is now being supported at scale through Waymo, which has signed on as the national presenting sponsor. The partnership reflects a broader alignment between innovation and community impact, Waymo’s autonomous ride service has increasingly been cited by riders, particularly women, as offering a greater sense of safety, privacy, and control in transportation.
The event has also garnered support from the Santa Monica City Council, underscoring the city’s role in fostering civic driven initiatives that bridge wellness, advocacy, and public space .
For Willis, however, the focus remains deeply personal, and deeply collective.
“When we bring all of these experiences together, from the past few years into one moment, one day, one run,” she said, “we create something bigger than awareness; we create change.”
That sentiment is echoed by Weiss herself, whose journey helped ignite Willis’s path. “Inspiration is contagious,” she said. “Summer is remarkable; she took a spark and turned it into marathons, legislation protecting survivors, and now a movement. When we share our stories honestly, we give others permission to discover what they’re truly capable of.”
In a city often defined by movement, Denim Runs offers a different kind of pace; one that asks participants to slow down just enough to recognize why they are moving in the first place. The finish line will not just mark distance, but it will mark visibility, solidarity, and the beginning of something long overdue; the courage to move forward together. www.thedenimruns.com