World Champion Emma Pooley joins The Green Runners

10 Olympic, world and commonwealth medals, 4 time long-distance duathlon world champion, 6 cycling world cup victories, mountain runner and now…member of The Green Runners! A world champion joins The Green Runners, dropping her sponsorship in the process.

World Champion Emma Pooley smiling at the camera whilst clambering on a rocky ridgeline with a lens flare and mountains in the background.

Sporting Achievements

Emma is most well-known for her prolific cycling and multi-sport career. More recently she has switched to endurance sport with mountain and ultra-running and long-distance cycling.

Living in Switzerland since graduating with an Engineering degree from the University of Cambridge in 2005, she won the Lausanne marathon in 2013 in a time of 2:44 – inside the top 20 times by British women that year! From 2014 to 2017 Emma smashed the Long-Distance Duathlon World Championships. In 2017, Emma won won by a whopping 27 minutes!

Since then Emma has transitioned more to endurance events, becoming Swiss champion in long-distance trail running in 2021 and winning the 100km Ultra Tour de Monte Rosa. This year, 2023, Emma topped the league in the Salomon Golden Trail National Series.

Speaking Out

Emma has always been outspoken on issues she cares about. In 2013 she co-founded “Le Tour Entier” (“the whole tour”) to petition for a women’s Tour de France. She’s also a big advocate for public and active travel – cycling from her home to the Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc (UTMB) in September to reduce her footprint. Emma also supported our DUtMB campaign against the sponsorship by Dacia.

Unfortunately the event ended in disappointment for her with nutritional issues leading to a DNF, but this wasn’t the end of Emma’s green running journey…

World Champion Emma Pooley running past alpine cows with mountains in the background.

Joining The Green Runners

For Emma, joining The Green Runners was a natural fit. Increasingly disillusioned by the business model of the sporting goods industry and concerned about the worsening climate crisis, Emma is keen to represent an organisation aligned to her values and wear our badge with pride.

“Ultimately, it’s about protecting what we love. Sport brings me to the place I love most: nature. So in my life but ESPECIALLY when running or cycling or climbing or skitouring, I want to do the very best I can to be sustainable. The Green Runners is an inspiring and articulate grassroots movement that brings runners together to protect the planet. I look forward to trying to support their excellent work.”

Emma Pooley

Her pledges are:

  1. Reduce travel and minimise flying
  2. Repair and re-use kit, instead of new
  3. Eat a vegetarian and reduced-dairy diet
  4. Speak up to brands: for durability and sustainability, not new gear
  5. Spread the word!

Learn more about Our Pillars

World Champion Emma Pooley holds up a cardboard sign with her The Green Runners pledges.

Please join us in giving a warm Green Runners welcome to Emma!

Check out her website, or you can follow Emma on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

Oh and Emma is a tea lover just like one of our better known co-founders…☕

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Kenny alexander

    Welcome to the community Emma, no mention of your champion oat recipes on this blog post, definitely worth a follow, thanks for speaking out

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