Get Out to Plog with NYRR

What on Earth Is Plogging?

This Earth Day, make your miles matter with plogging! The fitness sensation from Sweden is the environmentally conscious runner’s activity of choice. A combination of the word “jogging” and “plocka upp,” the Sweden phrase for picking up, plogging is picking up litter while you are out for a run or walk.

Not just a problem in urban areas, litter is an issue globally in our communities, waterways, and natural spaces. Its damaging effects on our health and the health of wildlife are immense, but with plogging you can take direct action against it! It may be a cliché, but one person really can make a difference. And just imagine how much you can do if you get your whole running crew involved!

Plogging is also a great way to introduce new body movements into your run such as bending, squatting, stretching, and even lunging while you pick up trash. When you plog, you aren’t running for time, you are running to help heal the earth and improve your own strength.

Tools of the Plogger Trade

So what do you need to plog successfully and safely? First, consider your environment and the fact that the same safety rules apply as regular running. Bright, reflective clothing and safety lights are highly recommended, especially if you are plogging along a road or in a wooded area. Next, you will need a container to put the trash in. Finally, you will need a pair of gloves to protect your hands. You don’t know what you are going to find out there, and chances are at least some of it is going to be gross, or sharp, or germy.

#GetOutToPlog with Us!

Our world is a world worth running for, so let’s make plans to #GetOutToPlog together!

NYRR and our partner Michelob ULTRA are working together this year to #GetOutToPlog as part of NYRR’s #GetOutToRun initiative and Michelob ULTRA’s A World Worth Running campaign. Here at NYRR, staff will be plogging around the city on Earth Day, April 22, and the NYC community can join in on a plogging run out of the NYRR RUNCENTER that morning. You can register for free here.

You can also plog at NYRR Open Run sessions throughout the week, getting out to run and making a difference in parks in the five boroughs and New Jersey! 

This year, commit with NYRR to making a difference in our communities and making the world a cleaner and healthier place to live for all. Plog on!