Why Climate Run?

Climate Run | Athletes for Climate Resilience builds community among outdoor enthusiasts—runners, climbers, skiers, mountain bikers, cyclists, paddlers, hikers—all of us—to recognize the role of resilience as we strive to make thoughtful and intentional connections to our environment.

Descending from the Hengill volcano at mile 15

What is Resilience?

Resilience is many things. It is often described a way to adapt to a changing environment–to make yourself, your community, or an organization strong enough to weather stress and strain from both outside and within. Climate Resilience, simply put, is about our ability to adapt and transform our relationship to the larger natural world.

Most importantly, resilience is a way of thinking about the world that can lead to innovation, diversity, education, and (in the words of the Stockholm Resilience Centre) “above all the belief that humans and nature are strongly coupled to the point that they should be conceived as one.”

Approaching Thingvellir at mile 40

Why Athletes?

All of our different sports and adventures interact with–depend upon, really–the environment. Snowpack, seasonality, ocean currents, river levels, ice-out, temperature–all are essential to what we do every day. At the same time, though, we also depend upon transportation, equipment, food, and other support to get us into the mountains, or onto the rivers or trails or roads.

Athletes for Climate Resilience is about addressing two issues head on: how can we make thoughtful choices and intentional changes that can contribute to large-scale transformations in how we think about and get out and explore this world we share.

We have the tools we need; let’s use them to leverage some real change.

The 2015 Climate Run across Iceland could not have happened without the generous support of dozens of individuals and organizations contributing resources and time. As challenging as running across Iceland was, however, the really hard work begins now — sharing the story of climate resilience and using the experience and what I have learned to help change the way that people think about climate change and to help us all build a better relationship to the world we live in.

This continuing journey cannot happen without your help, so please consider lending your support.

Thank you!