Running Out of Time, a mass participation relay from Glasgow, Scotland (COP26 host city) to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (COP27 host city) will take 38 days and nights and aims to be the longest non-stop relay ever attempted.
Thousands of runners are preparing for the record-breaking relay effort to pass a baton 7,767km through 18 countries containing a climate message from young people to world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27.
The relay starts on September 30th 2022 and the inaugural stage will begin following an opening ceremony hosted by Glasgow City Council, where the organisers’ message will be sealed in the baton.
Carried by runners, cyclists and sailors, the baton will journey on a route through Scotland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt – arriving to Sharm el-Sheikh on November 5th, 2022, in time for COP27 which will take place from November 6th-18th, 2022.
‘Runners – from kids to Presidents – have signed up to carry the baton in 5-10km stages of the route which crosses seas, mountain ranges, glaciers, and deserts, villages, towns and capital cities. It will visit hundreds of schools, at-risk locations and climate change projects to inspire and champion local climate action. At the same time, runners will be fundraising for the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Global Forest Fund and Carbon Copy.’
The official relay baton has been created by award-winning Glasgow-based designers 4c Design whose accolades include the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton. The spiral design of the Running Out of Time baton represents the four essential layers of climate action – international, national, local and individual.
Running Out of Time Co-Founder Jamie Hay said “This is our most critical mission yet. Our aim is to deliver a powerful message to the decision makers at COP27 with so much support that it is impossible to ignore if we’re to have a hope of securing a transition to a safe climate future.
“Running Out of Time symbolises the very essence of climate action – it’s an extraordinary, bold, ambitious plan that will only succeed because everyone has worked together. I know we can do it.”
As part of the relay, pupils from more than 68 countries have so far signed up for a Schools Action Day on November 3rd – and up to a million are expected to take part.
‘The virtual educational programme will champion climate change solutions while empowering young people to create an environmentally conscious world through experiential, project-based learning.’
Those around the world who are unable to run a stage on the physical route can pass the baton during a Global Virtual Relay on November 5th, 2022. The organisers (The World Relay) add that this virtual element… ‘is expected to attract tens of thousands of runners in the name of climate action.’
