Run of the Earth aims to become the largest global community of runners and will kick off on Saturday November 13, 2021 - to coincide with the end of the COP26 conference in Glasgow.
It aims to bring together a community of like-minded people who love running and who care about the spaces they run in, connecting across borders to show that runners are prepared to stand united to help save Planet Earth. The events will see runners all over the planet tackling a distance of their choice from 5 kilometres, up to a full marathon in their local area.
Further Run of the Earth events will follow, with at least four events taking place in 2022 (dates to be confirmed). The dates will be chosen to coincide with global events and to highlight the differences between seasons and how climate change is affecting environments around the world.
Runners will be encouraged to share their experiences on their runs as well as their routes and times through dedicated social media pages. The virtual run will be hosted on the LimeLight Sports Club app. This app has the capacity to record runs and add them into the event leaderboard as well as giving runners the ability to share their runs and comment on others.
All Runs of the Earth will be virtual, so they can take place anywhere on the planet. People can choose to run alone or with a group and solo athletes looking for company while exercising will be able to use the Run of the Earth social platforms to link up with like-minded runners.
Peter Stewart, Executive Director of Outreach and Development at the Eden Project, said: “Run of the Earth is a really exciting new concept for environmentally-conscious runners, whatever their level of ability. If you care about our planet, we really want you to take part. Whether you’re a seasoned ultra-marathon runner or just starting out on couch to 5K.
“We know during Covid lockdowns around the world that many people connected more with their local environment during their daily exercise time. We also know that runners are uniquely placed to observe their environment and how it changes with the seasons and due to climate change. We want to create a global community of people sharing the things they’re seeing and experiencing on their runs.
“We want people to run, walk, stroll, or roll but we also want them to pause, to stop and look, feel, smell and taste their local environments. This is about connecting with the Earth and each other. We want to unite 30 million runners in 5 years to show what is possible if we all work together to make positive environmental change happen.”
Craig Dews, CEO of LimeLight Sports Group, said: “We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of our industry and the participants at our events are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact events are having. So, we’re excited to be joining forces with Eden to find new ways forward and develop a better understanding of the footprint we leave.”
Run of the Earth is part of a range of Eden Project sporting events taking place throughout the year. On October 10, the Eden marathon and half-marathon return, taking a multi-terrain route through the spectacular and historic area surrounding the Eden Project. Eden’s weekly parkrun is due to return in November and, after making its post-Covid return earlier this month (September), the Eden Classic cycle sportive will take place again on May 8, 2022.
For more information or to sign up to Run of the Earth, see https://runoftheearth.com/.
