Fresh inspiration: how last night’s BBC Green Sport Awards lit the way
I was out for my usual morning run along the Thames estuary yesterday; the air felt cool and crisp. If you run a lot by the river, you know that smell. It’s the salt, the deep, earthy mud, and the sea all rolled into one. It’s the familiar, comforting scent of the water being awake. But sometimes, the air just feels off. That natural smell gets cut by something sharp: a faint, metallic edge, that unnatural signal that our local water quality is under pressure. It’s not a scary headline or a graph that hits me; it’s the quiet, unsettling feeling that the place I chose to call home is struggling.
We runners are always out there, day in and day out. We see the seasons turn, breathe the air, and feel the ground beneath us. That makes us some of the first witnesses to everyday pollution. We spot the litter, feel the heat, and smell the difference.
Last night, the BBC Green Sport Awards celebrated athletes taking a stand. It didn’t feel like a lecture at all; it was more like a conversation among running buddies. It reminded me that our small, everyday actions truly create a shared stride toward a healthier world. Not everyone needs a lesson on “anthropogenic environmental degradation.” Honestly, we just need to talk about what we do.
Fresh inspiration from the 2024 BBC Green Sport Awards winners
The awards winners aren’t just showing us the way; their actions map perfectly onto the four pillars we champion at The Green Runners: How We Move, How We Kit Up, How We Eat, and How We Speak Out.
How we speak out: Championing clean water
This year’s Green Sport Athlete of the Year, open water swimmer Hector Pardoe, truly owned How We Speak Out. He didn’t just complain when poor water quality made his teammates and him sick. Hector used his platform, making history to send a powerful message: our waters are under attack. In just 22 hours, he completed a remarkable, first-of-its-kind Three Lakes Challenge. He swam 55.5 km across Loch Lomond, Windermere, and Llyn Tegid. For us runners, who understand the iconic Three Peaks, this all-water version shows exactly what putting your body where your beliefs are means. That’s using your sport to protect the very environment you practice in.
How we kit up: Challenging waste
The inspiration for challenging gear culture came from last year’s winner, rower Imogen Grant. Her action highlights How We Kit Up. She made a massive statement by wearing a brilliant upcycled dress to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) awards. The dress, made from old sports kit, brilliantly highlighted the overwhelming amount of unused gear athletes are supplied with. It pushes all of us to think re-use first.
How we move and how we eat: Consistent choices
Football’s Hector Bellerín, the Global Champion, proves making a difference needs consistent choices, not just big campaigns. His efforts touch multiple pillars. He cycles to work (How We Move), he’s vegan (How We Eat), and he advocates for secondhand clothes (How We Kit Up). These are the small, daily choices, the ones you make when no one’s watching, that truly build an ethos. It’s like consistently choosing the quieter trail over a traffic-choked street, or just picking up that empty plastic bottle you run past.
The shared nod on the trail
Running might feel solitary, but the fight for our planet is absolutely a team effort. This is all about the “we.”
Haven’t you had that moment? That shared, silent nod with another runner who stops to wrestle a plastic bag out of a bush? It’s a moment that says, “I see you, and I’m with you.” That collective action, even unspoken, gives me so much hope. We’re all in this race together, passing the baton of responsibility. Take Formula E winning the Pioneer award for being carbon neutral since 2014: that’s a whole industry deciding to change, and then just doing it.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s simply about showing up. Be mindful of that old kit you could upcycle instead of buying new, or choosing to ride your bike to the start line instead of driving. We’ve seen the struggle on the trail, and we’ve been inspired by the wins celebrated just last night. But the race is far from over for The Green Runners.
As you head out on your next run, take a moment to look around. What’s one small, green action you’ve noticed someone else doing recently that made you smile? Or what specific piece of litter are you determined to pick up on your next outing?