IOE, UNEP and ADIDAS RUNTASTIC CHALLENGE one million people to outrun a real tiger, elephant or pangolin
Internet of Elephants is partnering with Adidas Runtastic, the United Nations Environment Programme, and three conservation organizations to launch Run Wild, a digital challenge that activates the global running community to show support for critical policy change at the upcoming UN General Assembly Biodiversity Summit in September 2020. This edition of Run Wild lets its users connect with and race against a wild tiger, elephant, or pangolin, based on their real movement data.
How RUN WILD works
Run Wild is a global, ten-day digital running challenge, on the (free) adidas Running app. Athletes who opt into the challenge will track their total distance over 10 days, and each day they will be able to compare their progress to the distances traveled by one of three endangered species.
This year’s campaign challenges runners to race a wild pangolin, tiger, or elephant, based on the animal’s real movement data. Beginners will love racing Pamoja, the pangolin who stays relatively close to her den in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Intermediate runners will enjoy the challenge of outpacing Tendrel Zangmo, a tiger from Bhutan, who can cover up to 10km per day. Veteran distance runners will have to step up if they want to outrun Adjany, the elephant. Although she roams the plains of Angola at a relatively slow pace, elephants can be on the move almost 20 hours a day.
No matter which animal is chosen in the challenge, runners will get regular updates on distances traveled, and learn more about the daily lives of endangered species. By taking part in the Run Wild Challenge, athletes use their voice, effort, and activism to represent the interests of all threatened species at the UN General Assembly Biodiversity Summit.
Why RUN WILD matters
As of 2020, more than 1 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction because of human activities[1]. Critical policy changes will only happen if enough people are willing to raise their voices in support. The Run Wild Challenge is an opportunity to engage athletes with wildlife in a positive way, boosting their fitness while allowing them to learn more about the extraordinary lives and abilities of individual wild animals. By focusing on individual animals and real scientific data, we give a more personal face and voice to what we stand to lose if we don’t take action.
The first Run Wild Challenge in 2019 attracted over 500,000 runners, who raced Uuliin, a snow leopard. For this year’s edition, we aim to double the engagement to one million athletes, to match the one million species that are predicted to go extinct in the near future.
“At adidas, we know that sport has the power to change lives, and this is an incredible opportunity to combine forces with five important organizations to rally a global community of athletes for a more diverse and sustainable planet,” said Scott Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for adidas Runtastic, “digitally racing against real wild animals is also just a fun and educational experience.”
Who is behind it
Run Wild forges a coalition between the worlds of business, sports, tech and conservation. adidas Runtastic leverages its 160+ million registered users, platform, and marketing power; Internet of Elephants co-created the concept and provides engagement expertise and science storytelling, UNEP brings its amplification power, and Space For Giants, the Pangolin Project, and the Bhutan Tiger Center provide their research data and conservation expertise. We believe unconventional collaborations like ours are needed to bring the urgency of environmental action to the attention of people and policymakers worldwide.
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A great idea, and much less destructive than climbing Kilmanjaro or similar nonsense.