RUNNING TO SAVE OUR OCEANS
The initial purpose of my blog was to document and share my journey to the Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc in 2018. However, as I started to accumulate running kilometres, I came to realise the increased interest by family and friends. I was particularly fascinated and very thankful by the number of people that had followed my recent Marathon Des Sables undertaking.
Whilst running may be an individual discipline, I have always thought about how I can turn this egocentric sport into a more sociable activity, or better, give it a beneficial meaning. Since I returned from Morocco, I have been looking into a variety of areas and topics that I feel attracted to and would love to support. I had a variety of causes in mind, but I am delighted to reveal that I will be raising awareness and funds for Oceanic Global, as I am tackling the Eiger Ultra-Trail on July 15th.
WHAT IS OCANIC GLOBAL?
Oceanic Global Foundation forms the backbone of Oceanic Global, which is a non-profit organisation that utilises art, music and emerging technologies to empower, educate and inspire individuals. Their goal is to shift people's behaviour towards a more responsible consumption with a reduced impact on our oceans.
On July 20th Oceanic Global will host its inaugural event on Ibiza. It will be a festival for our oceans, offering a deeply immersive cultural, artistic and inspirational experience. The goal is to unite people from all angles of society. It will gather musicians, artists, conservationists, institutions, NGOs and brands alike in order to create a global voice to protect our oceans.
WHY OCEANIC GLOBAL?
During my preparation for this year’s Marathon Des Sables, I spent a significant amount of time running at the beach in Barcelona, in order to imitate the conditions of the Sahara. At that time I was stunned by the amount of trash, especially plastic, which was scattered around the beach and had been washed ashore.
Though I am mostly running up and down the hills, or finding my way through the streets of a city, we forget that our planet is composed 70 per cent of oceans. Whilst trees may be the most commonly known source of oxygen, it is the latter that supply over 70 per cent of the oxygen we breath.
Every year we are producing around 300 million tons of plastic, out of which more than eight million tons end up in our oceans. Plastic is a very cheap and versatile properties that make it ideal for multiple purposes. However, these qualities have also turned it into an environmental issue. We have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and estimates are that around 50 per cent of plastic is used just once and thrown away. Plastic can be a valuable resource, but plastic pollution is an unnecessary and unsustainable waste of that resource and turns it into a lethal product that is having a dreadful impact on our environment.
HOW CAN MY DONATION HELP?
Oceanic Global focuses on educating individuals on their impact on their planet and ocean and thus empower people to make sustainable consumption choices. It does so by working with other NGOs, conservationists, creatives, businesses to bridge the gap between the research and solutions and the every day person. It allows conservation to be accessible to a boarder audience and people at the center of the solution. Every cent that you will donate will benefit the organisation to one hundred per cent. The money will be used to fund the movement and helping Oceanic Global to create immersive experiences that: engage local communities, generate measurable impact, amplify the efforts of synergistic groups, and ignite global action.
WHAT IS EIGER ULTRA-TRAIL?
The race will take place in Switzerland in the Bernese Oberland and will commence on July 15th at 4:30 am. With a distance of 101 kilometers and over 6700 meters of altitude difference, the Eiger Ultra-Trail E101 is a very challenging event. It will be a real test to see where I stand one year away from UTMB.
The race route passes through the most breath-taking viewpoints in the area, including traversing the base of the Eiger North Face itself. In total I will have 26 hours to complete the course. As with all ultra-race, Eiger must be completed under partial self-support, which means that during the entire race, between check-points and refreshment zones, each competitor is responsible for his own welfare and must carry the mandatory gear with him.