According to the World Health Organization, 99 percent of people worldwide are exposed to unhealthy air on a daily basis. As industry grows, cities expand and smoke days outnumber snow days, those risks are only rising.

Runners are intimately connected to the simple yet vital act of breathing fresh air, and as a community we are primed to defend that right. After all, activism is an endurance sport, too.

The Running Up For Air: Clean Air Vert Challenge harnesses a global running community in support of organizations working to improve air quality.

Between June 1 and 9, participate by logging as much vert as possible. Along the way, collect donations from friends and family. When you’re done wrecking your quads, Patagonia will help you direct those donations to nonprofit partners working on air-quality issues.

Find an event near you HERE.

Can’t join in person? Visit the Global Strava link to learn more about how to sign up for the virtual challenge.