The Colorado River Indian Tribes welcomed water advocate and ultramarathon runner Mina Guli to their community on Aug. 25 with a group of tribal runners, prayer and shared love for the Southwest's most critical river.
Guli crossed the Parker Bridge onto the CRIT Reservation accompanied by the Mohave Runners during a stop on her “Keep the River Running” campaign.
The thermometer read 108 degrees at 10 a.m., but that didn't deter the group of runners from making their way through the desert.
After crossing the bridge, CRIT Councilmember Tommy Brennan greeted the runners with a prayer and blessing.
"You are the voice of the river today," he told the group.
They ended their morning's run at CRIT's tribal building in Parker.
Guli spoke with the runners
and tribal members about her quest to bring attention to one of the tribe's most important cultural touchpoints: the Colorado.
The river has sustained Native peoples in the Colorado River Valley for millennia. But it's at a critical turning point after decades of drought and overuse, and CRIT has been advocating for its rights and seeking solutions to sustain its lifeblood.
'This is a critical time for the river'
Guli, who called herself a "reluctant ultramarathoner," is founder of the Thirst Foundation, an international nonprofit that supports communities in increasing awareness, driving stakeholder urgency and delivering meaningful action on the resource that connects everyone — water.
Guli said she is running nearly 2,000 miles in less than 100 days down the Colorado's length is meant to spotlight the West's worsening water crisis.
She started literally at the Colorado's source, "which is narrower than the palm of my hand," in late June. She expects to finish Sept. 18 at the Santa Monica Pier after stopping in Algodones,
She also wants people to realize that change is possible.
"This is a critical time for the river," she said. "The area is in an extended drought that will continue.
"We're at a tipping point."
Guli said that people may be afraid to do the hard things to build a resilient river system for the future.
"But when we do those things, everything is possible."
'CRIT's voice is needed'
She said visiting CRIT illustrated how they have the strongest links and history in the river system.
"It's an interlinkage between people, the environment and the economy," she said. "The Mojave people understand because they've spent generations living on the river.
"Their voice is needed so we don't miss that depth of experience."
The Colorado River Indian Tribes is composed of Mojave, Chemehuevi, Navajo and Hopi people, all of whom have deep ties to water and the Colorado River Basin.
Over the years, CRIT has led river management. It helped sustain Lake Mead levels by conserving 150,000 acre-feet. The tribe has also been a key voice in river preservation, including granting the Colorado River personhood status in 2025. The move gives the 4,300-member tribe more legal tools to protect the river. CRIT has also been pushing the Bureau of Indian Affairs to improve agency-owned irrigation systems to prevent losing water.
Another stop on the "Keep the River Running" journey will be on Sept. 1 in Phoenix, where Guli will meet with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, the Water Resilience Coalition, water systems manufacturer Grundos and community members to help develop the priorities and goals of a new organization, the Colorado River Basin Collaborative, that is scheduled to launch in October.
"Change is made by many people who have passion, perseverance and purpose."
Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at debra.krol@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @debkrol and on Bluesky at @debkrol.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Runner greets Arizona tribes on trek advocating for Colorado River
