Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 119, June 2019 | Page 8

ADVERTORIAL Think before you throw... Also, think before you bite and spit! #runclean Y or expel, which clogs its system, and eventually the animal dies a very slow, painful death. Fish also ingest this plastic. The same fish we have on our post-race celebration sushi platter! WRONG! Ever wondered what happens to all those little plastic corners of sachets that thousands of runners spit out on to the road during races all over South Africa? Well, for one thing, they almost never get picked up by the clean-up crew once all the runners have passed by, because they’re just too small. Most of the time the clean-up workers don’t even see them. BUT ANIMALS SEE THEM... Most of those little corners get blown in to the bushes or grass beside the road, where birds and animals all too often swallow them after mistaking them for something small to eat. Instead, the plastic clogs their stomachs and can poison or even kill them. Also, these little corners often end up in stormwater drains or rivers, and from there many flow out to sea, where they too are mistaken for food. To a turtle, that small bit of plastic actually looks like a tasty little jellyfish treat. But instead of nourishment, all the turtle gets is a stomach full of plastic that it can’t process And keep in mind that this plastic never goes away. It does become less visible over time, because plastic simply breaks down into smaller and smaller bits of plastic, thanks to the effects of sun, water and salt, thus poisoning the environment and finding its way into the systems of fish, birds, animals and humans alike. So every piece of plastic that we allow to reach the oceans is contributing to this slow poisoning process, including that little corner of a sachet that we simply spit out on to the road during our race. IT’S TIME TO STOP THE LITTERING! So next time you race, don’t just throw your empty sachet in the dustbin, make sure that even the smallest plastic bits don’t end up in the environment either. Because taking an extra second or two to dispose of your waste responsibly could save a turtle, an ostrich, a dolphin or an albatross from a painful death someday. Sounds dramatic, we know, but we runners love telling non-runners what a great sport we have, and how it allows us to really make the most of our terrific environment and invest in our health. Well, it’s time to live up to our own hype... by protecting the environment and health that we so love to experience. We know that the sport of running only contributes a tiny fraction of all the tons and tons of plastic being dumped in the environment, but we runners can still make a big difference by leading by example. And we can do that deciding to #runclean. Think before you throw – #runclean! Send In Your #runclean Stories or Ideas Modern Athlete’s #runclean campaign calls on all runners to stop littering during races, because the mess left behind by runners dropping water sachets or cups in the road has become one of the most prominent talking points in South African running circles. We’d love to hear about your #runclean efforts or experiences, or ideas to make the sport still greener, and you can share them at www.facebook.com/runclean, or mail to [email protected]. 8 ISSUE 119 JUNE 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za ou reach the water station in your race, thirsty and looking for a mouthful of cold water to refresh yourself, and that sachet feels so cool in your hand. Bringing it up to your mouth, you carefully hold the sachet firmly while trying not to squeeze too tight, and then you bite the corner off. Without a thought, you quickly spit the little plastic corner out, so that you can take a long, cool drink. Feeling refreshed, you toss the now empty sachet in the dustbin alongside the road, and on you race. You’ve done your bit to #runclean, right?