Thanks for checking out this fundraising page for Utah Clean Energy!
Running Up For Air is a special event for many reasons. It brings the hiking and running community together to share in a crazy challenge and fight for the basic human dignity of clean air.
Nearly three million people live in the valley basins between Logan and Provo. Every winter, when the persistent cold air pool inversion settles in, the exhaust of 5 conveniently located refineries stagnates in our lungs, along with fugitive dust from the biggest copper mine in the world, and tailpipe emissions from bustling freight and commuter routes. When the haze sets in, lung infections, hospital admissions, and asthma diagnoses all shoot up. The current Utah legislative session has given us a win, in the permanent closure of the on-again-off-again delinquent operation that was U.S. Magnesium.
This year, the RUFA organizers invited a panel of partners and friends to present a few dire problems and real solutions, from scaling methane scrubbing bacteria, to climate innovation incubators, to electrifying lawn care. These panelists are the same people who are meeting with legislators and going to schools to share the good news.
Please help me support these efforts! The myriad volunteers went to great lengths to help the runners blow past what we thought possible. I hope that you catch some of their zeal for this cause, and take a minute to feel gratitude for the good health that clean air brings us.
I also want to acknowledge the efforts of a few of my fellow racers. It was Kendall’s whacky idea to sign up for the 24 hour challenge that I so enjoyed. Charlie and Kendall trained beside me, and we did our best to stick together as a racing unit. Hale put in a mighty fine effort flying up and down the trails in record time. Kelly and Luke kept me company on the trail and distracted me with tales of adventure from the pains of endless digestion and battered knees. Even Jared, the man with the vision, let me follow him into a sunrise befitting the name of the peak itself. Please feel free to check out their fundraisers as well. Isabel especially inspired me to greatness and sacrificed her sanity to listen to me babble about training and statistics. Thank you to this beautiful place that we call home, the mountain that accommodated our ceremony, and the people that work to create a healthy living place for all.
