About

What is the event?

Running Up For Air is an endurance challenge calling on runners to accumulate vert in the name of clean air.

In our third edition of the European event, we’re taking the challenge to new heights—asking you to join us in racking up ascent on a run between 1- and 24-hours long. Over hills, on a ski slope, through the mountains, or up the stairs. It all counts.

We are all breathing in toxic air. It damages our health and the environment around us. As trail runners we feel this acutely, but for communities living in valleys, busy cities, and mountain towns, exposure to air pollution is a critical issue. That’s why Running Up For Air 2022 is connecting runners across Europe to raise funds for 18 environmental groups who are campaigning for better air quality.

So whether you’re logging your ascent on alpine trails, or lapping the hill in your local park, every vertical meter matters. A full 24-hour grind or a relaxed hour at chatting pace, pack the gels, grab some friends, and join us for one uplifting day of altitude and awareness.

History of the event

Running Up For Air is an endurance mountain challenge that was created by US ultra runner Jared Campbell, to raise money in support of the fight for improved air quality along the Wasatch Front, Utah. In winter months, ascending Grandeur Peak often means starting in smoggy, cold, polluted air and climbing up to surprisingly warmer clean air above. It is a bitter-sweet feeling to sit on the 8,299′ summit and look down at a glowing cloud of smog—realizing you must eventually go back down.

In 2012, Running Up For Air was born out of passion for the Wasatch Mountains and desire for our families and friends to enjoy an improved quality of life. In May 2019, the first European edition took place in Chamonix, France, where inhabitants of the town were also plagued by pollution. The event then spread across Europe, calling on runners to take part wherever they run vert—all in the name of raising funds and awareness for clean air.

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About Patagonia

We’re in business to save our home planet.

Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. A certified B Corporation, the company is recognized internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism—and its contributions of more than $145 million in grants and in-kind donations to date.

Through Patagonia Action Works, we support over 1,000 grassroots environmental groups worldwide, working on issues such as air pollution. We are bringing Running Up For Air to Europe in 2022 in order to engage with an international community of trail runners and raise awareness of the fight for clean air.

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