Run Wild: Enlisting 1 Million Runners for 1 Million Threatened Species
Internet of Elephants is again partnering with adidas Runtastic, one of the world’s leading companies in the digital health and fitness space, the United Nations Environment Programme, and three conservation organizations, to activate the global running community to show support for wildlife. The aim of the 10-day running challenge is to marshall one million runners to show global support for the one million threatened species, and advocate for critical policy change at the upcoming UN General Assembly Biodiversity Summit in September 2020.
HOW RUN WILD WORKS
Run Wild is a global, ten-day digital running challenge, on the (free) adidas Running app. People who opt into the Run Wild challenge will track their total distance (running, treadmill, walking, virtual running, and trail running) over 10 days, and each day they will be able to compare their progress to the distances traveled by one of three endangered species.
After a successful 2019 campaign which marshaled 500,000 runners to Run Wild with Uuliin the snow leopard, we are aiming to reach one million runners, and connect them to three different endangered animals.
This year’s campaign challenges runners to race a wild pangolin, tiger, or elephant. 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.
Opt into one of the Run Wild challenge of your choice here.
The Run Wild Challenge is an opportunity to engage people 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.
RUN WILD IS BUILT ON IOE’S THREE ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES
Run Wild is built on IoE’s fundamental principles that we need to connect people with wildlife in a positive way, on channels that already have their attention, and educate people based on scientific data.
IoE selected three grassroots conservation organizations (Space For Giants, the Pangolin Project, and the Bhutan Tiger Center) and used their research data and on-the-ground knowledge to select three wildlife stars. We then translated the scientific input to compelling 10-day stories on each animal, which will be delivered as daily posts to users in the app, as well as on social media. This creates a unique engagement mechanism that connects people to wildlife in a positive, highly individual way.
WHY CREATIVE CAMPAIGNING 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.
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.
The summit, like all other major events, has been forced to go virtual this year. The fear is that assembly will be overshadowed by the COVID crisis, putting crucial climate change and environmental policies on the backbench once more. Furthermore, the virtual nature of the summit could lessen the sense of accountability and urgency for policymakers.
AN UNCONVENTIONAL COALITION OF PARTNERS
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.