RUNNING FOR CHANGE
Tackling the world’s water crisis.
Run Blue is a bold, audacious campaign to raise awareness of the global water crisis and deliver groundbreaking action to solve it.
Established in 2022, Run Blue aims to tackle water blindness and drive transformational change by inspiring governments, companies, NGOs, and the public to take meaningful action on water. Already, we have built the largest global grassroots movement on water in history, a community of water heroes in 202 countries and territories.
But there is much more to do.
Billions of people still lack access to safe water and sanitation. Water risks to agriculture and industry are worsening. Climate change is driving more extreme droughts, floods and storms. Yet water is often missing from global conversations.
Run Blue is changing this, driving water up political, business and financial agendas. It is mobilising a movement for change. And it is partnering with companies, NGOs and communities to accelerate action.
At the heart of Run Blue is its founder, Mina Guli – a water advocate and ultramarathon runner who set out to make a difference by doing something different – running crazy distances to raise awareness and inspire action.
Like 200 marathons in 32 countries in 1 year in the lead up to the UN 2023 Water Conference. Along the way, Mina heard from people and businesses on the frontlines of the water crisis and shared their stories with the world – amplifying their calls for urgent action.
look at what run blue has witnessed
Water doesn’t come from a tap.
Water is essential for our economies and societies. But the solution is not just more taps, toilets and pipes. Because water does not come from a tap, it comes from nature. We urgently need to protect and restore our rivers, lakes and wetlands – not only to tackle the world’s water crisis but also to enhance food and energy security, tackle the climate and nature crises, and drive sustainable development.
Not just for ourselves, but for everyone. Now and in the future.
We need action on water now. And that means action to restore our rivers. And build more resilient societies and economies.
That’s why our next campaign, the World River Run, focuses on restoring and protecting healthy rivers. Together we will drive change by:
1. Waking the world up to the water crisis and the solutions to the ongoing degradation of the world’s rivers – the arteries of our planet – by running down iconic rivers on every continent and sharing stories that inspire and connect;
2. Strengthening the extraordinary Run Blue global community of people in 202 states and territories;
3. Accelerating transformational action by businesses and industry on water and driving real collective action in river basins through partnerships, convening events, and employee engagement; and
4. Ensuring water is a focus of major global conferences and events on food, energy, business, and climate change.
JOIN THE GLOBAL RUN BLUE MOVEMENT
Thirst Foundation has run several global RUN BLUE events, each raising awareness around water-related issues. All of the events have been free and virtual so anyone from anywhere could participate. People from over 200 countries and territories have taken part in activations.
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This activation focused on education and awareness and delivered on community depth and breadth. The passion of the activation’s most enthusiastic supporters was soon matched by the community, as people around the world learned about wetlands and why we need to take action to protect them.
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We kicked off World Water Day 2022 with The World Water Run. At the same time, Mina ran the first of the #RunBlue 200 marathons in Uluru, the heart of Australia.
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This activation delivered on education and advocacy, including highlighting the work of global River Champions. The WRR connected local issues to the global water crisis.
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Plastic pollution is at an all-time high. While running and walking for awareness, we encouraged our community to clean up their local areas. The #ZeroWasteRun goes beyond awareness and emphasises tangible, collective action.
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#Sweat4Soap is our largest impact-driven activation. The idea is simple – for every kilometer pledged, a bar of soap is donated to a community in need. Together, we collectively pledged to run and walk 425,665 km, resulting in 425,665 bars of soap that are being committed for donation.
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For the final activation for this phase of Run Blue – and the finish of Mina’s 200th marathon – the goals were to ensure global participation and to drive as much attention and momentum ahead of the UN Water Conference.
