The Power of Team: Oiselle + RDP
The Raleigh Distance Project is super excited to announce our partnership with Oiselle! This is the first time their company has partnered with an entire team of female athletes, and we think it’s the greatest thing ever - even better than sliced gluten free bread! Read more about why the team environment is so important here and check us out in the new section on Oiselle’s team page!
Oiselle is a Seattle-based company that creates women’s running apparel, but it is more than just a clothing brand. This company has created a platform for female athletes to share their stories while competing at the highest level, and truly stands behind the athletes that represent them. From world-record breaking long jumpers to professional marathoners and speedy steeplechasers, Oiselle’s team is stacked with talented women. These athletes are amazing—but what gives them the edge above their competitors? It’s the community supporting them, and we couldn’t be more excited to join it.
Two of our founders were encouraged to keep running thanks to their time with the Oiselle Volée, which is a membership organization for women who are committed to flying together. The Volée is a global sisterhood. In North Carolina, our local Volée believes in and supports our athletes by hosting monthly meetups for coffee and providing the loudest cheers at hometown races. Their presence, wisdom, advice, unconditional love, and the right amount of awkwardness has propelled us through times of darkness and doubt. Our team will be lucky to benefit from the strength of our local Volée and the global Oiselle community as Oiselle’s newest elite athletes.
From the beginning, the team founders held a special place for Oiselle—our logo even looks like a bird! A long-term vision for the team included partnering with this company because of their fierce presence in the running community. Oiselle is relentless in standing up and speaking out for what is right, and our team is honored to join voices with these women on issues like #cleansport and positive body image.
The Raleigh Distance Project fully stands behind the Principles of Flight outlined in Oiselle’s team manifesto: build the sisterhood, eat like a human, tell your story, race with fire, compete clean, be a superfan, and spread the love. While this statement from Chief Bird (aka Sally) is from 5 years ago, we think it applies now more than ever. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of this team.
We’re not building a single runner. Or a single performance. But rather a movement. A new kind of family that breaks from some of running’s old ways especially as they pertain to women athletes. It’s about progress and change. The future, the flight, the journey is new again – and ours to define.
Our team has seen what's possible when six women come together to support each other. We're excited to keep chasing big goals and building our community with thousands of women pushing us forward!