When it comes to raising money for animals, PETA loves to be creative. And that’s when our PETA Pack program often comes into play. The PETA Pack is a group of runners who participate in various races—from full marathons to 5Ks—in the name of animal liberation.

This year, six of our runners will take on the United Airlines NYC Half marathon on March 17. This 13.1-mile race will begin in Brooklyn, make its way over the historic Manhattan Bridge and up FDR Drive, wind through Times Square (one of only two times it’s closed each year), and finish in Central Park.

Each of our vegan runners will raise funds for PETA causes close to their hearts. We’ll introduce you to one of our runners each week during the lead-up to the big race.

This week’s spotlight is on a fundraising force! Meet Emily Thoms. She raised nearly $10,000 for animals when she ran her first-ever 50K ultramarathon in 2023, taking on 31 miles of mountainous forest trails to support rescue work for animals in Turkey, Ukraine, and other countries.

Her next effort will be the NYC Half Marathon to help end the deadly Iditarod. Emily has the choice to run, whereas dogs forced to run in a disturbing race for human entertainment do not. When the 2023 Iditarod ended, approximately 175 dogs had been pulled off the trail because of exhaustion, illness, injury, or other causes, forcing the rest to work even harder to pull the mushers, and the winner caused nationwide controversy when he was caught on video dragging his visibly exhausted dogs during the race.

Emily is committed to crossing the finish line to help the many dogs forced to run nearly 1,000 miles through Alaska’s harshest weather conditions. 

Want to help even more? Create your own PETA Pack fundraiser today!