September 7th 2022 Press Release
COP27: Thousands Set to Send a Message to World Leaders in Record-Breaking Climate Relay
Thousands of runners are preparing for their stage of a 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.
Called ‘Running Out of Time’, the mass participation relay from Glasgow, Scotland (COP26 host city) to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (COP27 host city) will take 40 days and nights and be the longest non-stop relay ever attempted.
The relay starts on September 30th 2022 and the inaugural stage will begin following an opening ceremony hosted by Glasgow City Council, where the message will be sealed in the baton.
Carried by runners, cyclists and sailors, it 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 8th 2022 in time for COP27 which will take place from 6th-18th November 2022.
Runners - from kids to Presidents - will 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 many accolades include the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton. The iconic 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 says “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 3rd November and up to a million are expected to take part. The exciting virtual educational programme will champion climate change solutions while empowering young people to create an environmentally conscious world through experiential, project-based learning.
People around the world who are unable to run a stage on the physical route won’t miss out. They’re invited to pass the baton during a Global Virtual Relay on November 5th 2022 which is expected to attract tens of thousands of runners in the name of climate action.
Running Out of Time is organised by The World Relay ltd and made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of a great many partners and supporters.
Register to take part: www.running-out-of-time.com
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Editor Notes
To set up photo opps. interviews, discuss special stages, prominent participants, points of interest etc please contact relay press team via Larissa Clark [email protected] +47 46852672 (Oslo)
Press Pack including releases, images & B-roll: available via LINK
FAQs - Link FAQs
WEBSITE: www.running-out-of-time.com
SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram @climaterelay | Facebook @climaterelay | Twitter @climate_relay
ROUTE MAP with timings and location pins: https://running-out-of-time.com/route/
TRACK THE BATON: request link
KEY DATES
30th September 2022 Opening Ceremony Glasgow Green
Together, with Glasgow City Council, we are bringing together up to 3,000 local students (mostly aged 10-11) to launch the relay in style with a 2km run around Glasgow Green (ETA 9am). There will be a warm-up provided by the brilliant guys at Tanzii TV, speeches by our principal partners, and the relay baton message being read out by a student and teacher from Sunnyside Primary School (Nature Champions of the Decade!), before being sealed inside the baton for its 7,767km journey. Request full details from [email protected]
30th Sept - 1st October Scotland
Stages 1 - 28 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/united-kingdom/
1st October - 5th October England
Stages 29 - 100 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/united-kingdom/
5th October - 6th October Wales
Stages 101 - 126 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/united-kingdom/
6th October - 9th October England
Stages 127 - 177 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/united-kingdom/
9th October BOAT Channel Crossing to France
10th October - 10th October France
Stages 178 - 183 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/france/
10th October - 11th October Belgium
Stages 184 - 210 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/belgium/
11th October - 13th October Netherlands
Stages 211 - 252 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/netherlands/
13th October - 16th October Germany
Stages 253 - 344 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/germany/
16th October - 17th October Austria
Stages 345 -358 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/austria/
17th October - 18th October Italy
Stages 359 - 404 ` Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/italy/
18th October - 19th October Slovenia
Stages 405 - 427 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/slovenia/
19th October - 20th October Croatia
Stages 428 - 461 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/croatia/
20th October - 22nd October Bosnia & Herzegovina
Stages 462 - 504 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/bosnia-and-herzegovina/
22nd October - 22nd October Montenegro
Stages 505 - 518 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/montenegro/
22nd October - 24th October Albania
Stages 519 - 557 Detailed Route -https://running-out-of-time.com/route/albania/
24th October - 27th October Greece
Stages 558 - 629 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/greece/
27th October - 31st October BOAT Athens, Greece to Paphos, Cyprus
31st October - 31st October Cyprus
Stages 630 - 645 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/cyprus/
31st October - 1st November BOAT Larnaca, Cyprus to Haifa, Israel
1st November - 4th November Israel
Stages 646 - 699 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/israel/
3rd November 2022 Schools Action Day
4th November - 8th November Egypt
Stages 700 - 726 Detailed Route - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/egypt/
5th November 2022 Global Virtual Relay
Details - https://running-out-of-time.com/route/0
6th-18th November 202 COP27: Sharm El Sheikh - Date & details to follow.
Side event hosted by FEE in partnership with UNESCO, OCE and others.
About The World Relay Ltd are multi-award winning global leaders in mass participation relays best known for their One Run series. Co-Founded by runners, adventurers and world record holders James Hay and Danny Bent, their mission started in 2013 with One Run for Boston; a non-stop relay across the US on behalf of the victims of the Boston marathon bombings. Since then they’ve organised relays all over the world including relays across the USA and two non-stop month-long relays in London. Awarded honours for these events include Runner's World 'Heroes of Running'. Over 200k runners have participated in One Run relays raising over £1.9 million for good causes.In 2021, 165 000 students and runners from 195 countries came together for global unity in the One Run Global Relay – a 24 hour virtual relay around the world. www.theworldrelay.com
Principal Partner Carbon Copy is a UK charity that inspires big-thinking local climate action to accelerate our progress towards a fairer, carbon zero future. https://carboncopy.eco/
Ric Casale, Co Founder, Carbon Copy says “Carbon Copy is delighted to team up with One Run for this extraordinary event. The relay is so symbolic of the ambition and collaboration we wish to see at COP27, and that we already see in the people working together locally to address the biodiversity and climate crises. This relay will also be a common thread that links thousands of inspiring climate action stories, showcasing leadership at all levels and encouraging more people to join in by doing something similar. Collective local climate action is having an impact globally, and we look forward to taking these stories to COP27 and sharing them with governments from around the world.”
Principal Partner Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is one of the world’s largest Education for Sustainable Development organisations, with over 100 member organisations in 81 countries and a network of over 60,000 educational institutions. http://www.fee.global/
Lesley Jones, President, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) says “At a time where climate change is an increasingly urgent cross-cutting issue, FEE has chosen to prioritise climate action as part of its ten-year strategy, GAIA 20:30. There are many pathways to mitigating the impacts of climate change, and we believe that education and collaboration play crucial roles in driving climate action to overcome the challenges facing our planet. It has to be education that shows and guides us to positive solutions. The Running Out Of Time relay will not only connect those people along the route from Glasgow to Sharm el-Sheikh, but bring us all together to address a problem on a global scale. We are hopeful and excited for the relay baton to become a rallying point and a call for quality climate change education around the world.”
PARTNERS - https://running-out-of-time.com/partners
Principal Partners
Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
Carbon Copy
National Partners
PPNEA Albania, DGU Germany, GoodPlanet Belgium, IVN Natuur Educatie Netherlands, FEE Italia, FEE DOVES Slovenia, Udruga Lijepa Nasa Zagreb, HPSN Greece, CYMEPA Cyprus, EcoOcean (Israel), Egypt GBC, Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Britain Tidy, Keep Scotland Beautiful
Expertise Partners
4c, Glasgow City Council, Capsule, Akron Aoton, Q Yachts, SW&CO, Another World Adventures, RedwoodBBDO, CSR Europe
Education Partners
Earth Day, UNESCO ASN, Office for Climate Education, Centre for Global Education, Let’s Go Zero, Eco-Schools, Learning About Forests, Young Reporters for the Environment, North America Association for Environmental Education, Global Environmental Education Partnership, Tanzii TV, Earth Cubs
Running Partners
The Green Runners, Findarace.com, Tower Runners, Run Talk Run
Environmental and Media Partners
Green Key, Blue Flag, It’s Great Out There, We Don’t Have Time, Global Forest Fund, Global Center on Adaptation