Thank you for being one of over 120,000 people standing with the family of Austin Tice – a Marine veteran and journalist who has been unjustly detained in Syria since 2012. Together we are calling on President Biden’s administration to prioritize Austin’s release and his safe return to his family here in the United States.

Over the last two weeks, full-page advertisements have run in the Washington Post with a letter signed by members of Austin’s family, directly appealing to President Biden. The letter notes that Austin was doing the urgent work of reporting on the humanitarian crisis in Syria when he was detained, and that the U.S. cannot stand back and watch as a veteran and journalist is captured and detained just for doing their job.

“President Biden, you speak often and movingly of the significance of journalism and its value in a democratic society. Austin obviously shares these values with you and is paying a high price for doing this critically important work,” Austin’s family writes in the ads, which have run several times in daily issues of the Washington Post.

In addition to the ads running in the Post, we at the National Press Club are hosting a virtual 5K race in support of Austin Tice and to raise awareness of his story. The inaugural #RunForAustin will take place on November 13, 2021, and because it’s virtual it means participants can join from anywhere around the country or around the globe. 

The Run For Austin is the next campaign in ongoing efforts from the National Press Club and the Press Freedom community to continue pushing for action in Austin's case. The Press Club encourages the public to keep Austin top of mind by taking part in the virtual race and sharing on social media.

Sign up here to #RunForAustin. Register as an individual or create/join a team to run or walk any route, from anywhere, at any time, on the day of the race.

And then to keep raising awareness about Austin Tice’s story and his unjust detention, use the hashtags #RunForAustin and #FreeAustinTice to keep the conversation going. You can even tag @PressClubDC to share with us your trails, your training and your teams as race day approaches! Registered participants can also download a personal race bib to print out and wear.

Thank you again for taking action to support Austin’s family, to tell Austin’s story, and to demand that President Biden do all his administration can to make sure Austin is released and able to come back home to his family.