100km Plog
100km Plog
How would you celebrate ten years of plogging?
On Saturday 25th September 2021 I plogged continuously for 100km
​​Man.. that was a long way!
I originally planned for 17hrs, but it wasn't enough and it ended up taking over 20hrs
But the time was the least important aspect. So I focused on the distance, the trash and the people (speaking to people in the streets, raising awareness)
Lots of incredible people joined me on the day and together we collected 360kg along the 100km route!
That is nearly 4kg/km!
​​
Here is the Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/6018936659
Here is a fun aftermovie (I wanted to make a proper one, but just ran out out time) https://youtu.be/tGwNz_aG268
​​​
The rest of this page tells the story and the plan
​​
LET'S GET SOME FACTS STRAIGHT
When it all started - Sept 29, 2011
First though, let's get some facts straight
​
Am I the first person to ever plog?
No!
​
Was this the first time I had ever picked up trash while running?
No!
Did I invent the word 'plogging'?
No! Those clever Swedes did it in 2016 (see Wiki)
I explain how wonderful that word is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/COAIivHJHMR
Have I really picked up trash every day since then?
Hell no! I did it like many do.. a few times a week.
But then in 2019 I made a deeper commitment to do it every time I run. So I have picked up trash everyday for quite a few years now
WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY, 10 YEARS AGO?
On Sept 29, 2011, I did my first social media post about picking up trash while running.
This means that Sept 29, 2021, will mark the 10th anniversary of that post.
Seems like a cool thing to celebrate, huh?
​
I won't go into too much detail, but I was running along the country lanes of my home village in the UK (Hartfield, East Sussex - where Winnie-the-Pooh comes from!) on the way to the train station.
​
The road doesn't have a footpath, so not many people would walk along it, which might explain all the trash I saw in the hedges. Fast-food packaging, drinks etc.. the usual stuff, thrown out of cars.
​
It was then that I thought.. "hang on, if I don't pick it up, then who will?". So I did.
​
I had done it a few times on that route, when I thought.. "hmm, perhaps I should tweet about it?"
​
So that is the story behind my first social media post on plogging. 'Plogging' wasn't a word at that time, so I just used the #keepbritaintidy hashtag.
​
​
FROM PLOGGER TO DAILY PLOGGER
​
I carried on plogging as many others do; occasionally.
But it soon turned into a passion; on my runs to the train station, I would do it each time.
Just a handful as I had a train to catch!
​
After a while, I started posting about it more. Not each time. But definitely more frequently.
​
It was in 2019 that I made the commitment to do it EVERY time I ran, biked or swam (anything I put up onto Strava), and also to really make it part of my posts on Instagram (www.instagram.com/wayeoflife/).
​
​
HOW I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF PLOGGING 100KM!
​
I am not sure when exactly, but I remember seeing that the amazing Plogman of India had set a World Record in plogging for the longest continuous plog. He did 50km.
​
I thought to myself - I could do that! So I decided to contact the Guinness World Records team and apply for a new world record in continuous plogging. Plogman of India had used goldenbooks to set the record, but I wanted to use GWR as it is the established one.
​
My application put some rules to help make it clearly defined:
To identify that it is continuously plogging; 60 pieces of litter an hour (so averaging a piece a minute - in reality, it would be way more than this but then it is definitely not running with a bit of litter collecting)
To identify that it is a real jog/run: an average of 10min/km over the whole distance. That doesn't seem like a lot, but plogging is slower than running, but this way I definitely need to jog it.
​
I also said that the distance I wanted to do was 67km (for my DOB.. 1967).. I wanted it to be more than 50km, but not much more so that it could easily be beaten; the more times it is beaten the more awareness is raised.
​
But the application was rejected. It wasn't exact enough. I did try and revise the definition but it just wasn't something the GWR committee were keen on.
​
I decided not to pursue it and after a while after I heard about the epic FKT (fastest known time) Damian Hall set. He not only set a crazy time for 431km (!!!!!) but plogged along the way. I think this is where the GWR were correct in their concern.. he plogged the whole way, but it is a continuous plog? It is a very grey area. But regardless; definitely check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgpAL87E5Q - incredible ambassador for not just running, but also the environment.
​
So I parked the idea.
​
Until I thought.. hang on.. 10years as a plogger is something to celebrate!
But how? Well, instead of giving up on the World Record, why not just do it anyway?
And as it is not going for a record, but as a celebration, the distance doesn't matter.
So I thought.. 100km is a nice number!
​
The Route
I wanted people to join me so I came up with a plan.
I broke it down into loops all starting from Mama Gaia (a vegan restaurant under the Dopper offices)
​
The first section I did on my own, which was from 3am until 9am (ish). That went to Zandvooort, Cruquius and Vijfhuizen.
After that I did 6-10km loops all spreading out from the hub.
It worked out really well and I was shocked by the number of people who joined in!
​
