The 2022 Lung Run
The town of Ugljevik is home to the region’s highest sulphur dioxide (SO2) emitter, despite having equipment that is supposed to reduce such emissions installed since 2020. These emissions can travel thousands of kilometers. They are toxic to humans when inhaled and can cause severe irritation to the nose and throat.
Under the motto ‘Run for clean air – step by step for a just transition’ more than 50 people from eight countries gathered on 29 October 2022 in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina to raise awareness about the urgency of a clean and sustainable future for coal dependent regions in the Western Balkans in a ten-kilometre trail running event.
Photos from the Lung Run 2022
The 2020 Lung Run
In 2020, we organised the first edition of the Lung Run – a trail run during which participants measured air pollution with personal exposure devices while running a course around a coal-fired power plant. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the physical race planned in Bitola, North Macedonia was formally cancelled and the event was shifted online to Strava, a social media platform for athletes.
In the end there were 69 runners from 14 countries and 3 continents participating in the mixed event.
