Lagos is the second location to host the Running for Clean Air project
August 2024 marked the start of Running for Clean Air in Lagos. Nigeria’s largest city is the second location to host this initiative, through which World Athletics activates local running communities in addressing urban air pollution.
The National Stadium Surulere hosted the official launch of Running for Clean Air, with more than 100 people attending to support the idea of exercising in clean environments. Local partner organisations came from different sectors, showcasing that multi-stakeholder cooperation is necessary if city-level change is to be achieved.
The local efforts in Lagos are being led by Nilayo Sports Management Limited, the owner and organiser of the annual Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, and UrbanBetter, an advocacy platform for healthy urban environments. Additional support comes from the Lagos State Office of Climate Change and Circular Economy, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, and National Institute for Sports.
The launch of Running for Clean Air in Lagos
Advocating for cleaner air through hyperlocal data
National Stadium Surulere now hosts an air quality monitor which measures hyperlocal occurrence of air-polluting gases (CO2, CO, NO2, NO, O3), particulate matters (PM10, PM4, PM2.5, PM1), and climate-related data (temperature, humidity, dew point, wind direction, WBGT index). For the benefit of the local community, a widget has been created so that everyone can see the current conditions online.
“Clean air is an important precondition for runners to have a pleasant experience with our race,” says Ebidowei Oweifie, Chief Operating Officer at Nilayo Sports Management Limited. “We can’t fix it alone, but we hope that our marathon can serve as a platform for all local players to come together and advocate for a healthier environment.”
With Nilayo’s support, World Athletics will conduct dynamic monitoring during the Access Bank Lagos Marathon on 8 February 2025. This will result in a map of the marathon route that identifies polluted and heat-prone areas. “We plan to use this data to inform our decision about future alternations to the marathon route,” adds Oweifie.
Project ambassadors lead the local campaign
To amplify the campaign’s messages, 10 project ambassadors have been selected from the local community of runners. Their role is, among other things, to engage their communities on the topic and to lead monthly training sessions at the National Stadium.
Running for Clean Air launches in Lagos
“Finding people committed to the cause was one of our priorities before we could even start the project, and I think we were very successful here. We have a group of 10 runners, from a banker to a high school student, from a running beginner to an Olympic gold medallist (Enefiok Udo-Obong), and we rely on them to get the message to as many people as possible," says Waziri Mainasara, Coordinator from UrbanBetter Lagos Cityzens Hub.
Lagos is the second city to host the Running for Clean Air project. It follows Warsaw where the initiative was launched in March 2024.
Running for Clean Air
Running for Clean Air is a World Athletics initiative, funded by the Clean Air Fund. Its objective is to address air pollution in urban areas. World Athletics cooperates with local stakeholders to measure hyper-local air quality and share the data in a large awareness campaign, using city marathons as the key platform to leverage existing running communities, spark positive transformations within cities, and increase awareness of air quality issues. Visit the project website to learn more.
