Running Up For Air returns to Europe
Patagonia‘s project returns to Europe for the third time on June 25.
Patagonia has challenged all European runners with a very specific goal: to raise awareness about air pollution. The initiative takes place digitally and physically, with participants being able to run from their own park, trail or mountain behind their home. You will be able to run from 1 to 24 hours, supporting associations such as ClientEarth, Cittadini per l’Aria and German Zero.
Founded in 2012, Running Up For Air allows participants to track the meters of elevation gain traveled, as well as connect and share the experience with other runners. In 2021, more than 20,000 euros were raised for NGOs, invested in awareness campaigns, training and activism regarding a sensitive issue that is unfortunately still little addressed.
But is the air really that polluted? Patagonia has left us with some info to think about.
First of all, ClientEarth’s data speaks for itself: 90% of the people in the world breathe polluted air. These values lead pollution to be one of the main causes of stroke, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases (one in three deaths). Changes are starting to be seen where air quality awareness and cause activation projects have been initiated, with pollution falling twice as much as in cities where legal action has not yet been taken.
Martin Johnson, Patagonia Trail Ambassador (we shared his film Run To The Source with Patagonia here) said, “Running Up For Air is an endurance challenge that involves running up and down a mountain or hill for between one and 24 hours, all to raise awareness about air pollution. This is an issue close to my heart as a father and a citizen of London, where we have some of the worst air toxicity levels in Europe.”
