Run with purpose: small steps for environmental change
As runners, we feel a deep connection to the environment. Every time we hit the trails, we see and breathe the world around us. This shared love is exactly why so many of us are running for environmental change. This isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about the small steps we take every day. Let’s talk about how the running community can turn every stride into a purposeful action for a cleaner planet.
We don’t need another lecture on environmental problems. We get it. We’ve all felt the grit of city smog scratch at our throat during a morning run or seen that discarded plastic bottle on a beautiful trail. It’s that feeling, the disappointment of a place we love being degraded, that should fuel us, not guilt. We want to be part of the solution, not just observers of the problem.
Your stride, a story: how every runner can make an environmental difference
We know that true change starts small, with what’s real and simple. You don’t have to quit your job and run 100 marathons to make a difference… though some incredible people do!
Take our fellow Green Runner, Hannah Cox, for example. She started her monumental Project Salt Run this week. She’s tackling a challenge that perfectly illustrates how running can be a platform for purpose. Hannah, a purpose-led entrepreneur who only took up running last year after turning 40 and was coached by TGR co-founder and running coach Nina, is set to be the first person to tackle 100 marathons in 100 days along the Indian section of the Old Inland Customs Line.
This historic, forgotten colonial boundary once enforced a devastating salt tax. Now, Hannah is reimagining this route as a path toward connection and change. Despite having the spinal condition scoliosis and no background as a professional athlete, she’s built up her strength, including running the width of England. She’s running to prove that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they act with intention. She believes that movement can be a message.
I’m not afraid to fail, because the future is built by those who show up.
Project Salt Run isn’t just a run; it’s a platform to show how we can all work together to build a more equitable, sustainable future. Her campaign aims to raise £1 million for 1% for the Planet, Big Change, Frank Water, and Client Earth. She says, “I’m not afraid to fail, because the future is built by those who show up”.
The power of “we” on the trail
Running is often a solitary sport, yet this goal of a better planet is a team effort. We aren’t doing this alone.
You feel it in that shared, knowing glance with another runner on the path—the one who also stops to pick up litter, or the one you see using a reusable soft-flask instead of disposable bottles. That nod, that smile, or the quiet acknowledgment says, “I see you, and I’m with you.” We’re a community that shares an appreciation for the outdoors, and that creates an unspoken commitment to protect it. Our running stories become linked when we share this purpose. It’s not a solitary crusade; it’s a conversation among friends about what we can all do to make our local running environments cleaner.
We can take inspiration from bold, purposeful efforts like Hannah’s. Her journey is about transforming a historical boundary of exploitation into a message of hope and progress. She’s running not to break records, but to spark connection and conversation.
Movement can be a message, and stories rooted in purpose can create real change
For the rest of us, the local heroes on our trails, the action is personal and specific:
- The trail pick-up: It’s the simple act of stooping to grab that rogue energy gel wrapper or plastic bottle instead of running past it.
- The gear choice: It’s choosing a brand that uses recycled materials or extending the life of your running shoes with an extra few hundred miles.
- The transport plan: It’s leaving the car behind and running from your front door, making your commute a part of your training and reducing your local footprint.
When we believe in better and act on it—step by intentional step—real change becomes possible.
What’s the small, specific change you’ve noticed on your last run, and what tiny thing could you do tomorrow to leave your local trail better than you found it? Share your own story with us: https://forms.gle/uvCX6wv8JzQWAMcx6