Our Outreach & Partnership Specialist, Peter Maksimow, will be celebrating his birthday on December 7th. Instead of receiving presents for his birthday, he would like to make a call out to all his trail running friends nation-wide, and around to world, to take a brief moment to “plog”; which is picking up trash while running on the trails. Call it a Happy Plogging Day.
Today, December 7th, is my birthday. Last year I attempted to summit Pikes Peak in sub-zero temperatures (I acquired a huge ice beard and almost lost my fingers). This year, since I am recovering from knee surgery and unable to run, I want to ask for birthday present. Well, more of a birthday challenge, if you will. Rather than a Happy Birthday, let’s call it a Happy Plogging Day! The present going to the mother earth rather than me.
Pikes Peak Ploggers with their haul from the trails.
For my birthday I wish that all my fellow trail runners, hikers, cyclists, or if you just meandering around #everysinglestreet in San Francisco (à la Rickey Gates), to pick up at least one piece of trash to help clean our planet. We only have one and it definitely needs a cleaning. The activity is called Plogging and it started in Sweden as a way of cleaning up the trails while getting your run in.
If you would like to participate, consider joining a Plogging group (local to me is the Pikes Peak Ploggers group found on Facebook), pick up at least one piece, post an image on your group’s page, feel like a good human being. It’s that easy!
And to all my trail running friends all around the world, I challenge you to start your own Plogging group and get your fellow trail runners involved. Call out to Japan 🇯🇵, Italy 🇮🇹, Germany 🇩🇪, France 🇫🇷, the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Austria 🇦🇹, Malta 🇲🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Spain 🇪🇸, and even back in Sweden 🇸🇪 where this wild activity started, and all my other international and domestic friends alike! Maybe even Kilian Jornet will pick up at least one piece (although, I bet there is not much trash up on the top of those high mountains Norway 🏔).
If anyone is interested and in the Pikes Peak, Colorado area, I’ll be plogging on 9:00am today (Friday, December 7) to collect at least 40 pounds of trash at Rampart Range Road in Garden of the Gods. One pound for each year I’ve been on this earth. 🌎
Thank you!
Peter
#AtLeastOnePiece #TrailRunning #Plogging
