Back to Press & Media

18 October 2022

Relay Baton Passes Half Way Point on Record Breaking 7,767km Climate Journey from Glasgow to Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27. 

The Running Out of Time relay baton and support crew have reached Italy having successfully crossed the Stubai Glacier in the Austrian Alps. Destined for Egypt where the UN Climate Conference COP27 will take place in November, Italy marks the 9th country for the relay baton which departed Scotland on 30 September and has been passed in a record breaking effort, day and night, non-stop, hand-to-hand by runners and cyclists for the past 19 days. The iconic baton contains a climate message from young people to world leaders calling for universal quality climate education while local climate action is championed along the route. 

Highlights of the journey so far

• Baton has been carried by thousands of people on 368 stages so far including families, government officials, activists, students, dignitaries, athletes and more!
• 2,432 miles covered through Scotland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy so far
• 27 local climate action projects host baton handovers on the UK route with principal partner Carbon Copy
• Adrenalin-filled crossing of The Channel by rowers, sailors and windsurf without burning any fossil- fuels
• 563,747 pupils from 1,545 schools in 101 countries have signed up for a Global Schools Action Day on November 3rd as the baton nears COP27
• Events en route at the European Commission in Brussels and UNFCCC in Bonn with principal partner Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
• See the live map and feed here

Those wanting to take part can:

1. Join a physical stage of the relay as it passes through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt - find your stage here.
2. Not on the route? Don’t worry, join the Global Stage! Everyone – wherever they are in the world - is invited to join Running Out of Time – the Global Stage to stand up for climate action and deliver a message to the world’s leaders at COP 27! Take part and run, walk, cycle or move for 27 minutes at 10.00 am your local time on 5th November - on your own or with friends and family. Then post those pics & selfies - #RunningOutofTime - to showcase our unity to the world.
3. Register schools for the Global Schools Action Day. It’s a day for schools around the world to unite, demonstrate how local actions have global impacts, and be heard at COP27! Over half a million pupils from 1,545 schools in 101 countries have so far signed up! It offers an unforgettable opportunity for your students to join the call for universal Quality Climate Education, take part in a range of fun activities, and engage with programmes and resources from the world’s leading environmental education organisations!

Running Out of Time Co-Founder Jamie Hay says - “What an unbelievable journey it has been over the past 19 days! Filled with unforgettable moments, incredible landscapes, acts of kindness and bravery. An unbelievable effort by every single person to show up and carry the baton forward, day and night, for 3914 km. We’re not there yet but we’re on our way. Egypt here we come!”

Find out more: www.running-out-of-time.com

Insert a few great photos 

– ENDS – 

Editor Notes

To set up official photo opportunities, interviews, discuss special stages, prominent participants, points of interest etc please contact relay press contact Larissa Clark [email protected] +47 46852672 (Oslo) 

Press Pack including releases, images & B-roll: available via LINK

Website:          www.running-out-of-time.com

When: Friday 30th September to Tuesday 8th November 2022
Where: Glasgow, Scotland to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Stats:  7,767km, 732 stages each around 10km long, 38 days.

Countries: Scotland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy,  Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt

Social media: Instagram @climaterelay | Facebook @climaterelay | Twitter @climate_relay

#RunningOutOfTime

The Whole Route: https://running-out-of-time.com/route/

Global Schools Action Day: Thursday 3rd November
Global Virtual Relay:Saturday 5 November for those who can’t join the physical route 

Baton Tracker:https://running-out-of-time.com/map/

KEY DATES REMAINING

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 2022  COP27: 

• Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
• 8th November - Relay Baton Ceremony, UNESCO Pavilion at 11am
• 10th November - Relay Baton Message presentation. Location and time TBC.
• 14th November - Side event hosted by FEE in partnership with UNESCO, OCE and others. Location and time TBC.

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 Guinness World Record holders Danny Bent and James Hay, 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

RELAY PARTNERS - https://running-out-of-time.com/partners including sponsorship from Ecotricity, Britain's greenest energy supplier.

PRINCIPAL PARTNERS 

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/

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/