Top ultrarunner Damian Hall – the winner of numerous big races including the Spine Race last year – made a very public stand after finishing fifth in the iconic Tor des Géants race in Italy.
Having covered 330km, which involved over 24,000 metres of climbing, in just under 77 hours, the Briton stopped under the finish arch and unfurled a banner which read ‘STOP OILY MONEY IN SPORT’.
By this point he was also wearing a blue t shirt which appeared to have ‘F*** OFF Ford’ written on it. Ford are one of the race partners. All of this was broadcast live on the race coverage on YouTube.
Who is Damian Hall?
Beyond his running performances and record-breaking feats, Hall is also an author and journalist and has become widely known for his vocal activism about ultrarunning and its relationship with the environment.
He has called for more to be done by the industry to combat waste and has written a book on the subject called ‘We Can’t Run Away From This: Racing to improve running’s footprint in our climate emergency’ in which he encourages runners to cut down on their own carbon emissions but also to try and create wider change.
He himself has reduced the amount he races abroad, reduced the flights he takes and turned his family ‘carbon negative’ – he had posted ahead of the Tor des Géants that he had got a lift to the race with friends.
He had also said ahead of the event: “Ford’s sportswashing has tarnished how I feel about the Tor.”
The Green Runners applaud Hall stance
Hall is one of the co-founders of ‘The Green Runners’ – as is Jasmin Paris, who made history earlier this year when she became the first woman to finish the infamous Barkley Marathons.
And they published a clip of his protest on Instagram and X (which is embedded below), writing alongside it: “@ultra_damo has completed the @tordesgeants 330KM race in 76h 49m 20s to take 5th overall — but that wasn’t all!
“At the finish he unfurled a banner which read STOP OILY MONEY IN SPORT. Time and time again we’re seeing high-carbon brands use events to promote their high-carbon products 💨 😷
“Ford is just one such brand. Across sport we see dozens of companies washing themselves clean. We’re talking football teams, cycling teams, running races and more. It’s an epidemic.
“Following @andysymonds’ own actionism at @utmbmontblanc, we applaud Damian on his achievement and his message 👏”
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