Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 120, July 2019 | Page 15

# RUNCLEAN
will take their learnings to the FNB Joburg 10K
CITYRUN on 24 September and the FNB Durban
10K CITYSURFRUN on 13 October. “The aim of
the campaign is to drastically reduce the usage of
single-use plastics by 85% at all three events in ther
series,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of
Stillwater Sports. “Our ultimate goal is to host a mass
participation road running series that is plastic-free.”
One of the biggest fans of these initiatives is Sean
Falconer, Editor of Modern Athlete magazine. “We
started our #runclean campaign to educate runners
to stop littering during road runs, particularly through
responsible disposal of plastic water sachets, and
while this campaign is steadily leading to a positive
change in behaviour amongst runners, the campaign
is given even more impetus when event organisers get
on board with the drive. Stillwater Sports is one of the
most progressive event companies in South African
road running in this regard, and I really hope more
event organisers take a leaf out of their books with
similar initiatives.”
Spookhill Also Goes Plastic-free
The latest race to take the plastic-free route was the
Timbercity Spookhill Challenge 15km, presented by
Helderberg Harriers in Somerset West at the end of
June. Following in the steps of the Satori Camel Run,
Milkwood and Tokai Manor races in the Cape, and
with the approval of Western Province Athletics, the
organisers made the decision to do something about
the litter problem.
Runners were told before the time that there would be
no plastic water sachets handed out, but that Richard
Runners embraced the
refill stations at the
Timbercity Spookhill
Challenge 15km
Sutton’s refill stations, as seen in the Peninsula and
Two Oceans Marathons, would be provided on the
route instead. Foldable running cups were on sale
before the race, but many runners heeded the call to
bring their own hydration pack or water bottle.
“Recent events like Annie Bothma slipping on a
sachet in the Two Oceans Half Marathon and not
being able to finish her race, and the huge amount of
litter, especially sachets and bottles found in drains as
well as ending up in the ocean, is shocking. We don’t
walk on the street and just chuck a take-away box
in the road, so why would we do this when we run?”
says Spookhill race director Izette Mostert. “For the
average runner, filling up their bottle or collapsible cup
doesn’t take much more time than veering to the side
of the road to get a sachet. Ryan Sandes managed
to run a 3:51 Two Oceans Ultra while stopping a few
Bags and bags of rubbish collected during one of the FNB Run Your City
Series city clean-ups
times to fill up his bottle, so why can’t we do that?”
she adds.
True To Her Word
One runner who happily took to the hilly Spookhill
course was well-known trail running elite and journalist,
Linda Doke. Famously, in a 2017 blog, she swore she
would not run another road race unless it was sachet-
free. Having coming out of self-enforced road running
retirement, she posted pics on Facebook of the clean
Spookhill route, and asked, “Which do you prefer –
your race littered with plastic, or sparkling clean?”
“On Saturday I ran the Spookhill 15km, a race
committed to being sachet-free, and it was such
a pleasure to experience clean roads from start to
finish – not a single one of those nasty green or blue
plastic sachets to be found! Huge shout-out to Izette
Mostert and the Helderberg Harriers for making this
happen. You’ve proven not only that it can be done for
an entire race, but that the concept of carrying your
own clutch bottle, cup or pack is really not the onerous
inconvenience that some runners ignorantly believe it
to be. So come on road runners and race organisers,
be the change! Single-use plastic is steadily destroying
our environment, so do your bit and run clean!”
Think before you
throw – #runclean!
Modern Athlete readers can join the #ICarryMyOwn movement by purchasing
a Fuelbelt handheld water bottle through this exclusive price offer!
Fuelbeld Insulated Handheld retails for R599, purchase here for R399!
Ultralight and of durable construction. It boasts moisture wicking air-flow for back of hand, as
well as comfort padding. The bottle has Hi-Viz reflective accents and is 100% recyclable. Each
comes with a removable phone holder and bottle cover with waterproof zip. 475ml capacity.
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Carry your own water to reduce your reliance on single use plastic.