Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees when it comes to doing our bit for the environment, but the running community has huge potential when it comes to positive and sustainable change…
Words Kelly Lucas
I think a while ago, when you’d see headlines about polar bears and the weather, it all seemed very far away. You were aware of a global crisis, but it didn’t seem to affect us directly. Then I started to realise that running was part of the problem….”
Record-breaking ultra-runner Damian Hall is reflecting back on the past 12 months since co-founding The Green Runners, a community he hopes will inspire fellow runners to start making personal changes to help the environment. “I started to analyse my own behaviour and ask, what can we do about this within running?” he says.
On the face of it, running should be an environmentally friendly sport. The action itself is carbon neutral and, in principle, you can run from your front door with a minimal amount of equipment. In addition, we think of runners as being fit, making healthy food choices, and being conscious of the great outdoors because we use it for the sport we love.
Despite the wholesome, healthy view we have of running, the unfortunate reality is that it’s not as green and sustainable as we may think. And while it’s easy to overlook the problems, most would agree that we have a responsibility to make positive changes for the environment and future generations.
How big an issue is this?
• Travel For many runners, travel to events is seen as the most obvious contributor to their carbon footprint. This includes anything from driving to your local parkrun, spending a few hours in the car to get to a race further afield, and flying both domestically and internationally. With the number of races increasing exponentially and the rise in popularity of the ‘bucket list’ race, many of us are travelling lengthy distances to cross the start line of an event.
For example, a 2021 study looking at the carbon footprint of marathon runners showed that 37% of New York Marathon participants had travelled internationally to the city. An alarming amount when you consider that one person’s transatlantic flight to New York creates around to 3.5 tons CO2 , which is equivalent to 83% of the annual carbon footprint of an average French citizen.
Even the seemingly innocuous parkrun has become problematic, with parkrun tourism – where runners travel vast di
