On October 16, New Zealanders and Australians will band together for a good cause — running in the name of climate action for the Great Barrier Reef. Dubbed Run4Reef, the racing event will simultaneously take place in 21 cities across the two countries.
100,000 runners are set to participate in the Run4Reef race from both sides of the Tasman. Plus, each event will be connected via livestream at all cities runs, thus, helping runners feel part of the global mission. Certainly, the competition will be tough since you are competing against people in both countries. However, the heart of the race is to shed light on the urgency to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
RUN4REEF New Zealand
The sychronised race day commences at 3pm in Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand. While participants can select between 1km, 5km and 10km runs. Fees begin at $29.50. Excellently, the Run4Reef race registrations will raise funds to support initiatives impacting climate change such as WWF-NZ and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Indeed, participants will race against people in the likes of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide as well as those running next to them. Register here.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system with a unique variety of marine species and habitat. Over time, coastal pollution, tourism, coral bleaching and climate change rendered the reef into an incredibly vulnerable state. Its decaying health has been a major cause for concern with a report by UN Environment Programme predicting that 70 to 90 percent of coral reefs could completely disappear by 2050. Needlessly, quick and urgent action is essential.
Edited by Megan Zara Walsh.