Run For Climate gets runners moving for the climate

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and encourage people to take action for the climate ahead of COP30, the PARC Foundation is calling on everyone to support climate research. A virtual challenge will run from November 10 to 21, followed by a 10K in Paris’s Bois de Boulogne on Sunday, December 14. Both events share the same goal: Run For Climate.

Engage your mind and get your body moving: that is the bet behind the PARC Foundation’s first-ever charity 10K, created to “take action for the climate ”, in every sense of the phrase. Starting and finishing in the heart of Paris, the event has ambitious aims, both in its central location and in the expected turnout of several thousand runners. All are concerned about climate change and determined to help fund climate research. The team behind the project initially considered a symbolic start from the Académie du Climat. A great idea, but one that proved difficult to bring to life.

The initiative was conceived by Lita Marret, a sustainable finance analyst at the foundation, marathon runner and project lead: “ I run a lot. And as more and more people are getting involved in running, I felt there was a real need to give the sport a sense of purpose, to feel useful. I wanted to create a framework that would give people a collective, tangible way to engage, because, when you think about it, running demands a great deal of time and energy. This event is rooted both in remembrance and in looking ahead: bringing the memory of 2015 back to life to rekindle the flame of action today.”

Open to everyone aged 16 and over, the race is part of a weekend packed with events focused on the major challenges of the ecological transition and climate research. The event will revolve around three key moments: an 11-day virtual challenge from November 10 to 21; a day of conferences at the Académie du Climat on December 12 for professionals looking to regain energy and conviction in the fight against climate change; and the 10K on December 14.

A 10K and a virtual challenge

The 10K will take place on December 14, but anyone unable to make it to Paris can join a virtual version beforehand, coordinated by Bouging. Available through the Run For Climate mobile app, the challenge will allow participants anywhere in the world to walk or run. Taking place alongside COP30 in Brazil, it will give participants’ commutes and workouts a greater sense of purpose. It will also give companies, schools and institutions the chance to bring teams together around a shared cause and a sporting event with real meaning.

The race is being organised by ÉcoTrail, a leading name in environmentally responsible sporting events and co-author of the “Eco-Responsible Race” charter. “For us, contacting them was an obvious choice. They immediately embraced the project because it fits their DNA perfectly”, says the organiser.

Supporting a cause remains at the heart of the project, but the sporting side will not be an afterthought: the race will be timed. “It will also help us reach people who might not otherwise be aware of these issues”, Lita Marret adds.

Run For Climate gets runners moving for the climate

A race with a purpose

Every race entry will directly help fund climate research, with €5 donated to the PARC Foundation (Paris Agreement Research Commons). Hosted by the Institut Louis Bachelier, this French organisation was created to strengthen the monitoring and transparency of climate commitments, particularly those linked to the Paris Agreement. It brings together public and private stakeholders including ADEME, the French Treasury Directorate General and the European Climate Foundation. Together, they work to structure and accelerate research and innovation in sustainable finance, develop climate-reporting tools and support the ecological transition. “All the donations generated will support research into the climate transition”, Lita Marret explains. The aim is to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, developing the analytical tools needed for the climate transition and creating concrete solutions to the current emergency.

Next December, the Paris Agreement will turn 10. Adopted on December 12, 2015, at COP21, the international treaty aimed to keep global warming well below 2°C. It remains far from being fully implemented, and its target looks increasingly uncertain. This race is first and foremost about mobilising people while there is still time, as progress in the fight against climate change stalls and the window for action narrows by the day. “The results are not what we would have hoped for, but there has been progress, and it is still time to act”, says the project’s founder. By taking part in the challenge, everyone can play their own part. Because we often hear: “There’s not much I can do on my own”. Here, everyone can feel like an agent of change through one concrete, collective action.

“Taking action for the planet” is therefore more than a simple mantra repeated without ever being put into practice. The PARC Foundation is offering a practical way to act for the living world and give meaning to every stride.