Oltenia Marathon Launches "Athletes for Nature", a Community of Nature Responsible Athletes

Aug. 02, 2023

In a year of 365 days, Earth's renewable resources were depleted by humanity on the day 214. Time cannot be turned back, as nature doesn't have a reverse button. In response to this challenge, the Oltenia Marathon, an event by CEZ Romania, has created "Athletes for Nature" a platform dedicated to raising awareness about the actions athletes have to consider to prolong Earth’s time.

August 2nd, recognized internationally as the Earth Overshoot Day, aims to sound the alarm about the effects of our unsustainable course of development and raises a call to action about the solutions we have ahead. For the "Athletes for Nature”, August 2nd is Day Zero. It marks the launch of a community bringing together the most responsible sports enthusiasts who pledge their time for nature.

Larisa Iordache, a well-known Romanian World Olympic and European medal-winning gymnast together with Radu Restivan, an athlete and founder of 321sport #RunningCulture and Ondrej Safar, CEO of CEZ Romania, marked this moment with a unique action: they ran together one kilometer backwards to mark the fact that time cannot be turned back. The "Race for Earth" can be watched here and aims to inspire the audience to adopt responsible behaviors.

Ondrej Safar, CEO of CEZ Romania stated:

"We are consuming resources faster than the planet can regenerate them. This actively contributes to significant consequences on environmental sustainability, but it also compels us to be mindful of the need for increased conservation efforts. As responsible athletes, we commit to turning back time for nature through sustainable choices, especially when it comes to sports."

 

An exhibition of photos showcasing AI-generated images of potential marathon competition landscapes from 2042 is hosted on www.maratonulolteniei.ro calling people to pledge to prolong the time of Earth.

Wildsport, an association advocating for sports in nature, is the first to get involved to support the initiative.

Cristi Nițu, Wildsport Association said:

"Running and cycling brings people closer to nature, challenges them to be attentive to its signals, and makes them aware of ecological disasters caused by wasteful behaviors. Every step counts in sports and nature, so we fully support the challenge of being athletes for nature. We encourage everyone around us to join our mission."

 

Anyone can contribute to moving Earth Overshoot Day to December 31st!