Move over boring, old run club \u2014 picking up trash while jogging with pals is the hot new fitness trend.<\/p>\n
Run clubs have become increasingly popular as a way to exercise, forge friendships<\/a> and make romantic connections<\/a>, and now some New Yorkers are taking their passion a step further by cleaning the streets as they move.<\/p>\n Plogging<\/a> \u2014 the eco-friendly fitness movement that combines jogging and the Swedish phrase \u201cplocka upp,\u201d meaning \u201cpick up\u201d \u2014 has been steadily growing with devotees around the world.<\/p>\n Plogging, the combination of picking up trash and jogging, is a growing fitness trend in New York City and beyond. Stefano Giovannini for NYPost<\/p>\n For Tina Muir<\/a>, a sustainability advocate, her introduction to the activity was through plogging events hosted by New York Road Runners<\/a>, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that caters to runners of all ages and abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI was excited at the time to\u2026 do something actionable and feel like I was contributing positively to the world around me and the city that I\u2019ve really come to love,\u201d the former elite marathoner told The Post. <\/p>\n \u201cGetting to go out there with a group of humans, where you all go the same speed, was something that I had never seen before in the running space.\u201d<\/p>\n NYRR blazes the trail<\/p>\n As Muir transitioned away from professional athletics, she wanted to pursue something that aligned with her environmental interests while continuing her work with NYRR.<\/p>\n She\u2019s now a sustainability advocate for the organization\u2019s plogging events, which occur just days before its three marquee races: the United Airlines NYC Half\u00a0Marathon in March, the\u00a0RBC Brooklyn Half\u00a0Marathon in May and the TCS\u00a0New York City Marathon<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n NYRR hosted its inaugural plogging event in 2019 as part of an Earth Day campaign. The organization has since dedicated a station at its Runcenter in Manhattan where anyone can grab a bag and gloves to plog at their own pace.<\/p>\n Runners joined New York Road Runner\u2019s plogging event before the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon. Stefano Giovannini for NYPost<\/p>\n NYRR saw plogging participation explode when it decided to tie the events to some of the city\u2019s biggest races, according to NYRR\u2019s director of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, Aly Criscuolo.<\/p>\n Marketed as shakeout runs, participants can do an easy jaunt to increase blood flow, reduce muscle stiffness and calm nerves while cleaning up the pre-race streets.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t run fast and pick up trash at the same time, it\u2019s not physically possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Tina Muir<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, the marathon seems to draw the most interest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have 2 million spectators of the marathon, so there\u2019s a big community of people that are learning about plogging and bringing it to their local neighborhoods,\u201d Criscuolo told The Post. \u201cAnd even if it\u2019s not a formal event, they\u2019re picking up a couple of pieces of trash on their morning run every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Tina Muir, a former elite marathoner and sustainability advocate, helps organize plogging events with NYRR. Stefano Giovannini for NYPost<\/p>\n Anyone is welcome at the plogathons, whether or not they\u2019ve signed up to run the race.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get a good mix of those running the races and also those who are passionate about sustainability locally,\u201d Criscuolo said. \u201cWe\u2019re definitely hitting our maximum these days of a little less than 100.\u201d<\/p>\n Litter-ally making a difference<\/p>\n While one person can only pick up so many bottles and burger wrappers, the hope is that plogging sparks collective community action and environmental awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that we\u2019re not going to solve the climate crisis by picking up these few pieces,\u201d Criscuolo said. \u201cBut there\u2019s a really great impact in that we\u2019re educating those about plogging, and the fact that they can do it in their neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Muir believes these positive actions are contagious.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you see someone doing something that they don\u2019t need to be doing, and they choose to do it for the good of humanity, the good of our Earth, they are also more likely to take that step,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Steps in the right direction<\/p>\n While it seems like the faster the run, the better, there are benefits to slowing down.<\/p>\n \u201cPlogging tends to produce a lower heart rate than jogging because of the stopping to pick up trash,\u201d Jason Fitzgerald, a running coach and host of the Strength Running Podcast<\/a>, told The Post.<\/p>\n