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Friday, January 25, 2019, 11:50
Running for the environment
By Xing Yi
Friday, January 25, 2019, 11:50 By Xing Yi

Runners of Trash Running China pose for a group photo after each "plogging" event to show the trash they've collected. (XING YI / CHINA DAILY)

Every Wednesday at 7 pm, a group of running enthusiasts from different countries gather at a bar on Dingxi Road in Shanghai before setting off on their 5-kilometer run through Changning district.

To make the activity more fun for both newcomers and regular "ploggers", Trash Running China also frequently organizes longer weekend runs in the suburban areas

But this is no ordinary run. The group hardly stays together throughout the activity and the pace is never steady. Besides their running attire, these people are also armed with garbage tongs and trash bags.

The members of this group don't simply run for the sake of good health or vanity. They do it for the sake of the Earth as well.

Called "plogging", this new fitness activity originated in Sweden in 2016 and was introduced to Shanghai in March when two expatriate ladies, Hungarian Kate Sogor and Swiss Celina Eisenring, founded Trash Running China. The term is a combination of the words "jogging" and "plocka upp", which means "pick up" in Swedish.

Sogor says the idea stemmed from her irritation with trash-laden streets along which she used to run as part of her training for marathons.

"If we don't do something, there will always be trash on the street," Sogor says. "The change has to start from us."

Sogor then met Eisenring, another individual who shared her ideals, through another running group. The pair later formed Trash Running China as a means of combining their love of running with their desire to clean up the environment. The group's first run was at Dishui Lake in Pudong, Shanghai.

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(From left) founders of Trash Running China group, Kate Sogor and Celina Eisenring, and an active member, Ding Genna. (XING YI / CHINA DAILY)

While the duo was prepared to run and pick up litter on their own, they were heartened to find that eight others had signed up for the run. One of them was Tan Yinghuai, a clerk at a trading company. Tan has since been an active member of the group.

"I live in Songjiang district in the suburbs, but I try to come every week because it's meaningful to do my part for the environment," says Tan, who spends an hour traveling just to attend the weekly runs.

The chance to do some good for the environment while meeting new people has proven to be a formula that works for drawing new members. In the summer of 2018, just a few months after Trash Running China was founded, its WeChat group had grown to include more than 400 runners. The group's largest ever run involved more than 50 people.

In addition to the Wednesday runs in Changning, the group also organizes Thursday sessions that take place in Pudong. To make the activity more fun for both newcomers and regular "ploggers", Trash Running China also frequently organizes longer weekend runs in the suburban areas, including places like Qibao Old Town, Sheshan Mountain and neighboring cities.

Participants of the events held by Trash Running China, such as longer runs in Sheshan Mountain and weekly runs in both Pudong and Puxi areas in Shanghai. (XING YI / CHINA DAILY)

"We want more people to hold small 'plogging' groups here and there," Eisenring says, adding that they are looking for people who identify with their vision and can take responsibility for organizing trash running activities in their own neighborhoods.

One of the latest runners to join the group is Robbin Trebbe, a German businessman and marathon enthusiast who has been living in Shanghai for more than one year.

"I think 'plogging' has been a trend worldwide. We have it also in my hometown near Cologne-it's a way to know the people and the city a bit more," he says.

At first, the small "plogging "group in Shanghai was known largely among expats, but through word of mouth more Chinese joined the run.

Another active member of the group is Ding Genna. She was first introduced to the activity by her friend in May.

"I initially planned to just check out what this is about, but I ended up running the whole route in high-heels," she quips.

A foreign participant picks up a plastic bag using tongs. (XING YI / CHINA DAILY)

Every running session starts and ends with a group photo. The latter always shows runners carrying bags full of garbage. Ding says she often shares these images on her social media channels to rally her peers.

"It's a powerful image," she says. "We are only trying to do what we can to make the environment better, and when others see the change, they are more likely to do the same."
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Participants of the events held by Trash Running China, such as longer runs in Sheshan Mountain and weekly runs in both Pudong and Puxi areas in Shanghai. (XING YI / CHINA DAILY)

Sogor recalls she was once asked by a passerby if she is paid for helping pick up the trash, and how others have dubbed the group as "weird".

"You know, there are some weird people on Earth who do weird things," she says. "I feel proud to have met these people and I expect to meet more."

Contact the writer at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn

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