Can we run away from this?

The short answer to this is, no. We can’t run away from this - as explained in ultrarunner Damian Hall’s excellent book titled “We can’t run away from this”.

When I started running, I didn’t quite spot the immediate connection between climate change and running. Instead, it was an organic process that took time - and I’m still in that process now. Two questions came to my mind when I first started to think of running and climate change in the same sphere. Firstly, how is running at all related to and/or contributing to climate change? It seems like a pretty innocent, primitive act, right? Secondly, how can we use running as a force for good to try to change the narrative and contribute to a better future? Luckily, Damian’s book allowed me to get a little closer to the answers to these questions. So here’s a spiel of what I learned from this great book.

To make things easier, I’ll split things such that they align with the Green Runners’ four pillars. This might also nudge you in the right direction to sign up to be a member.

Kit won’t make you fit

To start, let’s talk about shoes - perhaps the biggest culprit in a runner’s wardrobe. Shoes are something that I have some strong opinions about, be it related to their environmental effect or their effect on our biomechanics. I do not believe that natural movement and longevity are in the best interests of these multi-million dollar shoe companies. Instead, they create and exploit trends to sell us more of their shoes, promising that they will be key to becoming a better runner. I’d like to make a clear point here and now - this is not true. There isn’t a single study showing that these fancy shoes reduce the risk of injury. In fact, it’s quite the opposite effect - supposedly, there are studies showing that injury rates are lower when running in cheaper, more used shoes. Fancy running shoes are good at doing one thing - they numb our senses. They give us a false sense of security, thinking that we are doing far less damage to our bodies because we have big fluffy pillows under our feet. The irony is that we’re simply weakening our bodies and delaying any biomechanical issues until later in life.

Hang on, this sounds very similar to the tactics that these same running shoe/apparel and outdoor clothing companies are taking to manipulate us into buying their products. Aggressive marketing is used to numb us and to mask us from the true cost of consumption; deluding us into thinking that their products will add value to our life. They exploit our primitive desire for instant gratification at the expense of long-term ecological collapse and climate breakdown. Humans crave short-term gratification. This sometimes - like in this case - results in having to pay the price in the long term.

I digress. So why am I, and others, so concerned about the shoe industry’s sneaky actions? To understand this, I’d like to touch on an important concept - lifecycle analysis. Thankfully some of the things that I learned while studying nuclear engineering are useful after all! What lifecycle analysis refers to is the analysis of a given product’s lifecycle, from the raw materials needed at the very start of the cycle, to the place where that product ends up long after we dispose of it in our homes. Or, according to Wikipedia, it’s defined as “a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service”. So let’s try to use a simple example to illustrate this concept - running shoes. Before they reach the shelves in the shop, shoes have already undergone many steps. This is just what came to my mind, and I won’t go into all of the details here, but the lifecycle of a running shoe might look something like this:

1. extract raw materials or create synthetic materials
2. transport these materials to different factories to produce different parts of the shoe
3. send shoes to another factory to bring all the parts together with some glues and stitching
4. transport the shoes across the world to warehouses
5. distribute the shoes to stores across the country using courier vans
6. put shoes on display in the shops
7. consumer buys the shoes, runs the ‘recommended’ 300 miles (this is a load of lies)
8. bin the shoes
9. shoes are transported to landfill or incinerated
10. repeat this 300,000,000 times…

…and that’s for the UK alone, every year. Oh, and actually, that’s not the end of the story. Shoes don’t simply sit harmlessly in a landfill. You see, the issue is, synthetic, plastic materials have an amazing property—they take thousands of years to decompose naturally. And even then, because nature is cyclical we can’t just get rid of our shoes without any consequences down the line. The microplastics and other petroleum-based compounds end up running into groundwaters and emitting methane into the atmosphere. So, can you see what I am trying to say? When you consider the whole lifecycle of something, not simply one part in isolation, you begin to realise the wider impact that consumption is having on the planet. The difficult part is to realise and admit that we are part of this problem and to stop turning a blind eye to the destruction that we are causing with our selfish actions.

OK, so am I saying that we shouldn’t run in shoes? No, this is not what I’m saying, instead we should aim to reduce the amount of these rubber-soled nightmares that we bring into this world. Instead of telling you what to do, I’ll explain what I do and, hopefully, it inspires you in one way or another. Firstly, when buying a shoe, the best thing to do is to buy second-hand since the shoe has already entered the mix. By buying used, we reduce the amount of new shoes being produced. I’ll admit, however, that I’ve not bought a single second-hand pair of running shoes yet, but I always try to look for some whenever my current pair starts to resemble flip-flops. In fact, one of my goals this year is to buy some second-hand running shoes.

So what now? If you buy new, there are still ways that we can be better—better, not perfect. I always try to buy from a company with good ethics and ones that are transparent about the lifecycle of their products—this means avoiding some of the big names such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma. Yes, the initial cost of the shoe may be greater, but if it lasts longer and means that they are less of an environmental issue then it is 100% worth it. We have become too used to getting stuff quickly and cheaply, paying little consideration to the destruction caused before and after we receive the product. It’s also important to buy a shoe that will last. Well-built shoes that are made to last are great. I’ve run 2000+ miles in some of my shoes and they are still going OK! The key is to be proactive and take care of your shoes well. Wash them if they get caked in mud, run with good form (the irony here is that ‘maximalist’ running shoes encourage poor form), and, most importantly, repair, repair, repair! Finally, when my shoes are not appropriate for running anymore, I tend to use them as muck-around shoes or for dog walks. You could also follow Damian’s advice and turn them into plant pots!

How I repair my shoes

The approach that I take to repairing my shoes is simple. It goes as follows:

1. eyeball the size of the hole in your shoes
2. clean the area around the hole and leave to dry
3. apply some sort of glue (preferably one made for clothes/shoes) around the sides of the hole
4. place patch over hole and ‘massage’ it so that it is stuck in place
5. leave to dry

As you can see, there is not too much to it. I think the most important thing is that you patch the shoes with something that is somewhat flexible so that it can move with the shoe when it bends etc. Otherwise, the patch may fall off quickly. For the two pairs of shoes below, as well as another pair of my trail shoes, I used an old race medal and cut the strap into strips to patch up my shoes. I thought that this was a great way to use something that would otherwise just go to waste!

For some good shoe repair stuff, head over to https://www.pairups.co.uk/store/ - their stuff will help make your shoes last for thousands of miles!

That’s some of the stuff that I learned about shoes in Damian’s book, but now I’d like to delve into another plastic problem—race T-shirts.

Another free t-shirt won’t hurt

Or will it? Now, you might have noticed that I don’t race all that much compared to a lot of runners—that is partly because I find it hard to see through the waste that is produced in a lot of running races. From the piles and piles of plastic water bottles, to the emissions associated with participant travel to and from the race—these are all quite off-putting for me. But perhaps one of the things that aggravates me the most is the free T-shirts that are often handed out at running races. In my opinion, this is no different to fast fashion—one of the most destructive, exploitive industries in the world. These T-shirts are created in awful working conditions as cheaply as possible using plastic which, I remind you, is itself made from fossil fuels—and they still look rubbish most of the time! I’m sure if the council bin lorry was parked at the end of a race handing out rubbish that will eventually end up in landfill, then we wouldn’t be too pleased to say the least. But hang on, this is basically what’s happening at a lot of running races. My view is, if you’re stood at the start line of a race and manage to make it to the finish, then you already have a good enough way of covering up for a running race. It’s all just a marketing game hiding behind seemingly generous acts of gifting.

Scrap these cheap T-shirts. Offer an option to plant a tree using Trees Not Tees instead and, as a last resort, offer the option for a participant to buy a well- and ethically-made T-shirt with a cool design—perhaps from a local artist—that’s going to be kept in the top and used for years to come. Oh, and for race directors? I suggest just focusing your efforts on the more important aspects that contribute to an excellent running race, such as good way marking and an exciting route. That way, this can leverage the most powerful, old-fashioned way of marketing—using word of mouth. I’m confident that this will make running races more fun and cheap T-shirts will start to become an old fad.

The unexpected elephant in the room

OK, so that’s a little ramble about kit, but let’s back-track a little. I mentioned that a big reason why I don’t race too much is due to the waste associated with running races, but what I wasn’t prepared for was to learn that 90% of the CO2e emissions from running events come from participant travel. What’s even more interesting is that the races that attract me the most - trail and mountain ultras - may be the hardest events to reduce this contribution to emissions. But let’s be realistic—we want to allow ourselves to go to some races and have some fun. There are still things that we should carefully consider before clicking buy on our next race entry.

Firstly, I don’t see the benefits of flying abroad just to race ever really outweighing the environmental impact of getting there. If we really do want to compete in our dream races, then the better way to approach these races is to schedule the race into a longer, extended holiday - perhaps with family or friends. Secondly, maybe you can try out some smaller, more local road races so that you still get that race day buzz but with far less environmental cost. The good thing about road races is that they often seem to be at more sensible times of the day and are closer to population centres. Coincidentally, they are often easier to get to using public transport links. However, let’s face it, public transport in the UK is far from smooth most of the time. I don’t feel like I’m in the place to fully comment on how we can increase mass transport of runners to running races, but I suspect that what’s needed to slash the current emissions is a combination of improved public transport infrastructure (which the country desperately needs anyway), race organised mass transport to and from the race from population centres, and increased use of car sharing with fellow runners. Perhaps, like many things related to climate change, it’s about realising that convenience does not always pay respect to the planet that we live on and realising that we must sacrifice some things if we are to continue living lives that are even remotely similar to the ones that we are currently living.

Anyway, what Damian does a great job at explaining—and what I’d like to get across—is that participant travel is the #1 contributor to running race emissions. Consequently, we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to this just because we’re also focusing on some of the low-hanging fruit such as race T-shirts and plastic water bottles.

Now that I’ve touched on a few things related to how we kit up and how we move, I’d like to touch on some things that relate to the two other pillars of The Green Runners - how we eat and how we speak up.

Fuelling for the long run

To be honest with you, when talking about the four pillars, this is the one that I feel least confident talking about. In the past, as someone who’s not fully vegetarian or vegan, I’ve felt some guilt and a sense of hypocrisy when discussing the impact of food on our planet. However, having read Damian’s book, one of the most important takeaways for me is the fact that we are all hypocrites - it’s impossible not to be in some way. So, instead of keeping hush about this, I thought I would share some things about how running (and non-running) related food consumption contributes to climate change.

Firstly, let’s start with the obvious. As runners, because we’re physically exerting ourselves more than we otherwise would, we need to eat more to stay strong and healthy. What this means is that the environmental impact of our food choices is likely going to be greater than someone less active. That is, there is more weight on this as a total of our overall individual carbon footprint. So what can we do about it?

The low-hanging fruit is reducing or cutting out meat consumption from our diet. Equally as effective is to also cut out dairy consumption. So, let’s say you eat an ‘average’ amount of meat and you choose to turn veggie - your emissions from food could be cut from 2 tonnes/year to 1.39 tonnes/year of CO2e. That’s over a 30% reduction per year just from this one change. Even better? Cut out the rest and turn vegan - this will slash your food-related emissions in half to 1 tonne/year. This is great, right? But if this argument is not enough to sway you - which I can understand as humans generally can’t relate to these big scary numbers - then I can offer a different argument that will hopefully also convince you to reduce your meat consumption.

Health and ethics - this is the argument that swayed me away from regular meat consumption.

I recently read a book titled ‘The Omnivores Dilemma’ by Michael Pollan, who does an excellent job of narrating the journey of his food from the source/origin to the plate on his dinner table. What did I take away from the book? The industrial agricultural system—also known as Big Ag—is corrupt and takes little to no consideration for the animals that they slaughter’s lives. Even worse? If you can convince yourself that being held in extreme confinement and artificially bulked up and fed with crap made from industrially farmed corn, then there’s a catch. These animals are pumped with all kinds of A-Z steroids and antibiotics that—you guessed it—stay in this ‘long’ food chain and eventually enter our bodies.

This may help to convince you to reduce your meat intake, however, some of these issues remain even if one follows a vegan or vegetarian diet. Big Ag lacks any respect for nature’s natural cycles and processes and the health of the soil that plays such an integral part in sustaining life on Earth. Even when growing vegetables that we later purchase in the supermarket, they continue to use many nasty fertilisers and pesticides, as well as aggressive soil management techniques to grow them. How did we arrive at this situation?

Well, back in the day, someone would find or create a certain variant of some plant (GMO crops), let’s say corn, that provided a higher yield than the previous ‘version’. This seems good, right? But then fertiliser came to the market to, supposedly, increase yield at farms and allow farmers to sell more of their crops. The result? A move away from polyculture toward mono-crop farming - aiming to maximise yield, and in turn, profit (does this sound familiar…profit maximisation at all costs?). However, what we now understand is that the combination of these fertilisers—providing only three essential soil nutrients, these being nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK)—and soil tilling end up diminishing soil health as they interrupt the natural cycles present in the soil. This means that, if we follow the food chain up from the soil, to the plant, and finally, to the consumer, these foods no longer contain the same nutrients as they did, let’s say, 100 years ago. Couple this with pesticide and insecticide residue present in inorganically grown plants, and we really are being sold a lie. Every carrot is not equal. Even if we can come to terms with this, the issue now is that, due to aggressive tilling of the land, we have also lost a large part of soil - that is, the layer of soil that nourishes all living beings on earth is becoming thinner by the day.

Mono-crop farming has resulted in the commoditisation of major crops such as corn and soy, which are being tinkered at Frankenstein like labs to create fake foods that appear on most modern supermarket shelves. Big Ag practices move money away from local, small-scale farms to big corporations that have a monopoly over these crops. The destruction that this is causing is something that we should not ignore. Nature does not like to be altered. It is a metastable system that has remained so for thousands and thousands of years. Industrial agricultural practices undermine this fundamental truth; destroying the land that’s so vital to our existence and reducing the carbon sequestering potential of our land. Once again, we need to open our eyes and consider the true cost of what we consume.

Foodstuff ≠ Food

Before I move on to how we speak up, I’d like to touch on something that I believe is important; something that we are perhaps brushing under the rug—the concept of nutrients. After all, as runners, we need to eat a well-rounded and nutritious diet if we want to be healthy and have longevity in our running. But there is no point going veggie or vegan but then living off ultra-processed foods that don’t give us energy to enjoy our running and help drive for systemic change.

It’s not talked about too much in the running community, but I think we must pay attention to what we’re consuming to sustain our running. In my eyes, I cannot convince myself that all of these fancy, synthetic-like sports nutrition ‘things’ (yes, things—they’re not food) are too great for our health. For me, there’s a line that I’m not willing to cross regardless of the benefits to my running performance—that’s why I make all of my running snacks from whole or minimally processed foods that I know are good for me and that haven’t undergone heavy processing. I see danger in the reductionist viewpoint that we often hold in modern society. Be it a recovery sports drink mix or an energy gel to fuel us mid-race, I think that we should still remember that nutrients in isolation are not the same as nutrients intertwined in the matrix of a complex food. Just remember that the removal of something from a whole, unprocessed food (such as natural fat in low-fat products), likely means the addition of something that should never be inside our bodies (some strange E number or vegetable oil).

Some call this nutritionism—where we have taken it too far and broken down ‘foods’ into vitamins and minerals and, so long as something is marketed to provide adequate amounts of those nutrients, then it is OK, right? The jury is still out with some of these questions, but for me, as soon as you realise that 90% of the modern supermarket’s content is not actually food, then you are already on track to better health and longevity—both in your daily life and in your running. Sorry, I’ve rambled here but, ultimately, what I’m saying is to take care when shopping—pay attention to the ingredients, not the health claims, and try to avoid as many E numbers as you can! We want to make sure that we also stay healthy, as well as the planet, right? Remember, fitter doesn’t mean healthier—both are necessities in my view.

Finally, for heaven’s sake, make sure that you eat what you buy so that we can reduce the colossal amount of food waste that we produce as a country. So, if we want to make changes for a fitter planet and better health, we should aim to eat whole, unprocessed foods, mainly plants, and buy local where possible. These are the steps that I am taking this year related to the pillar of ‘how we eat’.

Ignorance is no longer bliss

This brings me to the final and most important thing that I learned from the book. It relates to the final Green Runners’ pillar - how we speak out. I plan to write a separate post discussing this in further detail, however, it’s important that I at least touch on it here.

As runners, we have a collective responsibility to protect nature and to speak out regarding climate change. It can be tough to know where to start and who to engage with in our actions. But I’ve started to see it differently following reading Damian’s book. There’s no need to be perfect - we are all hypocrites. There’s no need to know everything - that’s what asking for help is for. There’s no need to change the whole running community. Instead, we should focus our efforts more broadly, making sure that we engage at both a local and larger scale. Even if it’s just your running circle, or your club or university, by exposing people and educating them about the role that runners can play in tackling climate change, we can begin to create small ripples that eventually grow larger.

Just find your thing and what makes you tick and channel your energies there - that way you kill two birds with one stone: you’re helping spread important messages and also having fun at the same time!

That’s it from me for now. Get a copy of the book here: We Can’t Run Away From This | Adventure Books by Vertebrate Publishing (or send me an email and I can arrange to send it to you).