They run to rid streets of garbage

Participants of the first-ever Basura Run pose for a souvenir photo at the Fuente Osmeña Circle right after their run yesterday. The event is about spreading their advocacy on proper garbage disposal and keeping the environment clean. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

They run to keep fit. They also run to clean the environment.

Yesterday, Cebu Ultrarunners Club (CUC) President-turned-environmentalist, Tony Galon led a band of 50 runners in the first-ever “Basura Run” that started and finished at the Fuente Osmeña circle, Cebu City.

At the finish line, the group managed to gather more than four sacks of garbage they collected along the three-kilometer route. A good start in Galon’s bid to strengthen his “Five Pieces Daily Habit” where he voluntarily picks five pieces of trash that he comes across on the streets since last year.

Galon is known to hold socially-relevant races and ultra marathons.

Last year, he organized a long-distance race to honor the 44 SAF officers who were killed in an encounter in Maguindanao and just this year, he and a group of runners ran 8k all the way up to Tapul Elementary School in Talisay City to deliver armchairs and conduct a feeding program there.

In yesterday’s run, the 50 participants ran 3k along B. Rodriguez St., all the way to V. Rama Avenue and Osmeña Boulevard. Galon and the race’s participants managed to collect more than four sacks of litter.

Galon said he decided to initiate the “Five Pieces Daily Habit” to encourage not just his fellow CUC runners to adopt the habit but also to raise awareness about Cebu’s big problem concerning garbage. He said that no one can solve this problem but us. “We have to start the change within ourselves by throwing our garbage in garbage bins. In that way we can help not just the environment but also ourselves,” Galon said.

Since his advocacy is growing steadily, Galon is planning to make the Basura Run a monthly activity where they will traverse different routes covering different barangays.