Watch the full interview below or take it with you on your next run!
What happens when your deep love for wild mountain trails collides with the high-carbon realities of elite international racing?
Join Laura as she sits down with Francesco Puppi, elite trail runner, physics graduate and co-founder of the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA), to explore how he navigates the delicate balance between professional sport and environmental advocacy.
Progress, not perfection: why we need imperfect activists to wave the green flag
When Francesco Puppi sat down with us for the latest episode of Storytime, we knew we were stepping into uncomfortable territory. Francesco is a co-founder of the Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA), and a fierce voice for climate responsibility. He’s also an elite athlete who flies internationally to compete in world-stage events like Western States and UTMB.
For some, that combination instantly triggers accusations of hypocrisy. But if we wait for absolute perfection before we can speak up, what do we get? Silence.
And silence gets us nowhere.
Navigating the tension of the modern world
In his interview, Francesco shared how his thinking has shifted over the years, moving away from a paralysing sense of personal shame about his footprint toward a constructive sense of responsibility for his platform. As an elite runner, his career takes him across the globe and places him directly within a sport grappling with carbon footprints and resource consumption.
When asked about the expectation to be a flawless role model, Francesco highlighted a crucial linguistic distinction: people often expect absolute perfection from public figures, mistaking the system we live in for the individual’s intent.
“Perfection does not exist… I’m aware that through this position and influence I have a platform that I can decide how to use. Sharing my story very authentically and this kind of tension is much better than telling people what to do… Everybody who is trying is already so much better than not trying at all.” — Francesco Puppi
Imperfect activist vs. hypocrite
There’s a world of difference between an imperfect activist, someone doing their best to drive change while navigating a deeply flawed, high-carbon system, and a hypocrite, who demands strict standards from everyone else while refusing to apply any to themselves.
Living in the modern world means making daily trade-offs. Whether it’s questioning how to balance being a sponsored athlete receiving new gear against an ongoing overconsumption crisis, or debating the personal choice of a plant-based diet, we often see people weaponise purity tests. Some argue that unless you are 100% vegan or completely off-grid, you have no right to advocate for the planet.
We completely reject that mindset. Purity tests isolate allies and protect the status quo.
While individual choices matter deeply, we must continuously balance individual accountability with systemic change. As Francesco pointed out during the episode, the climate crisis is a collective problem shaped by policy, corporate governance, and economic structures. Real impact happens when individuals act and leverage their collective voice to pressure brands, race organisers, and policymakers to change the rules of the game. (Look no further than collective athlete advocacy through the PTRA and The Green Runners helping move UTMB to drop Dacia as a headline sponsor).
Progress over perfection
We don’t need a handful of perfectly green athletes living zero-impact lives in isolation. We need thousands of imperfect runners, athletes, and advocates willing to step up, navigate the messy realities of life, and use their voices to push for systemic change.
Be honest about your journey, own your trade-offs, and keep showing up.
Check out the full Storytime episode with Francesco Puppi on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Want to help us build a greener future for our sport? Join The Green Runners today for the price of a coffee a month.
🏃 Check out the Pro Trail Runners Association and their work at trailrunners.run
🎧 Listen to Francesco’s podcast, Any Surface Available
📖 Read Francesco’s thoughts on sports and climate Substack
Hosted by Laura Briggs
Produced & Edited by Paola Handley