Running
Can going for a run protect the environment?
On the Why I Run podcast, a record-setting rock climber and (arguably) the world’s most enthusiastic trash collector make a case for running in nature – an especially fitting topic around Earth Day.
In Episode 8 of the podcast that leads up to the Wings for Life World Run, climber Sasha DiGiulian shares her feeling that connecting to the outdoors through running is beneficial, not just for our own health, but also for the health of the planet.
The American begins, “I run because it makes me feel good. I run to clear my head and manage the stress that’s going on in my mind.” Then she goes on to say, “I think through interacting with our environments through running, we really create this affection for the places we live and strive to protect them."
DiGiulian's fellow guest, the high-energy Swede Erik Ahlström, has been running in nature and organising trail runs, adventure races and more for more than two decades. His love for the sport is intensely strong. “For me, running is being out in nature and we're born to move!” he exclaims. “We're not born to sit down. Life is too short to walk, so why don’t you run?”
For me, running is being out in nature and we're born to move!
The only thing stronger may be Ahlström’s passion for saving the environment – and he’s come up with a way to take action: plogging ('plogga' in Swedish).
Erik Ahlström
© Courtesy Erik Ahlstrom
Plogging – a word Ahlström coined that's already made it into the dictionary – is the act of picking up litter while you’re running or jogging. The idea came to him when he noticed increasing levels of discarded litter in typically pristine Sweden, especially in cities, but on woodland trails as well. He started picking up litter whenever he was out running, and when he introduced the idea to others on group runs, he discovered that it became like a game.
“I saw in their eyes that something was happening. It became like a treasure hunt. I saw the adrenaline start kicking in: we were actually racing for the trash! And then afterwards the people felt so good!” he explains with infectious enthusiasm. Today, ploggers plog in more than 100 countries around the world – everyone from royals and presidents to schoolchildren. Combining fitness and sustainability, the movement keeps growing.
Who doesn’t want to breathe fresh air and have water sources and see wildlife thriving?
Ahlström is convinced that the more people run in the natural environment – whether it’s the wilderness or simply a city green space – the more they’ll want to make a difference. He asserts, “With knowing comes caring, with caring comes change."
DiGiulian shares the sentiment. “I think that humans are just naturally meant to be exposed to elements and to be outside and to have a sense of freedom. Being integrated into nature is, I think, at the core of every being on this planet,” says the climber, who has more than 30 first female ascents to her name.
Sasha DiGiulian hanging out in Kalymnos
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
She continues, “I think that the more people interact with nature, the more they’ll think about taking care of nature. Nature is still pressing forward and still trying to thrive – we need to protect that and work toward that goal, because who doesn’t want to breathe fresh air and have water sources and see wildlife thriving?”
On May 8, DiGiulian and Ahlström will be joining the Why I Run Podcast team in the run for those who can’t. You can run with them – and even plog if you like – by signing up for the team here.
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