Sport
11 July, 2022
Cairns to host the run4reef event
ON October 16, Cairns will welcome the world’s first simultaneous running event and a fellow 20 other host cities to collectively bring together more than 100,000 runners with a single mission – protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The inaugural run4reef international event will span 21 cities across the two countries, leveraging world-leading timing technology to unite thousands of runners of all abilities across 1km, 5km and 10km fun runs and a special elite 10km run.
Supported by Queensland Government and Australian Government funding, run4reef’s first international event comes off the back of local events being run in Port Douglas by the climate conservation group run4planet since 2013.
Now, the group has the vision to take their passion for saving the Reef globally.
run4reef registrations will raise much-needed funds to help protect the Reef, including developing restoration programs like the innovative ‘plant a coral’ initiative. Funds raised directly from event registrations, and peer-to-peer fundraising will go to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
The international event stems from humble beginnings, which run4reef Race Director and Olympian Steve Moneghetti said played a significant role in today’s vision.
“Running has been the fastest growing recreation in the last 10 years, mostly because it’s so simple,” Mr Moneghetti said.
“Adding a reason to run, global climate action not only gets more people involved but it transforms a heavily individual sport into one where people are connected.
“We first started our run for the Reef events locally in Port Douglas back in 2013, where we hosted a marathon festival with the local community but adding this larger cause to a simple run really resonated with people.
“Since then, we’ve better understood the significant threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and have seen a substantial increase in the number of global citizens looking to make a change before it’s too late.
“The Great Barrier Reef truly is the barometer of climate change, and we must act now.
“This year, we can’t wait to see the first international run4reef event come to life,” he said.
The events are supported by internationally acclaimed marine scientist and leading authority on coral reef science and conservation, Great Barrier Reef Foundation Chief Scientist Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who said the Reef needs action now.
“The science has been clear for a long time – climate change is the number one threat to the Great Barrier Reef,” Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.
“Acting to reduce global emissions to zero over the coming decade is imperative.”
He emphasised that there is no other way to call it; the future of the Great Barrier Reef is now on a knife-edge.
“Not acting is not an option; we must act now to save the Great Barrier Reef as a bastion of Australia’s biodiversity and economic opportunity,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing tens of thousands of Australians, and New Zealanders get involved in this exciting event and support the future of our irreplaceable coral reefs.”
run4reef events will take place on Sunday, October 16 2022, across Adelaide, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Central Coast, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Moreton Bay, Newcastle, Sydney, Perth, Thursday Island, Townsville across Australia, and Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand.
For more information and to register for the event, visit https://www.run4reef.org/
