On November 27th, more than 500 runners participated in the GreenRace 2022, a running race that allowed runners to compete wherever they like and at any time. The GreenRace was part of a fundraising project to expand 30ha of forest for the Gray-shanked Douc Langur, plant 20,000 trees in cities, and to help 1,000 disadvantaged children experience the beauty of Son Tra’s nature in a sightseeing tour.
Before participating in the run, students and runners downloaded the UpRace application on their smartphones and registered to participate in the GreenRace event. Runners then recorded their performances for each run using a mobile device (phone, watch with GPS function). For every kilometer run, participants needed to contribute at least 1,000 VND in sponsorship to the fund.
At the opening ceremony, the students ran together for 2 km around Youth Park.
Ms Nguyen Thanh Hong Phat (student of Dong A University) and her friends registered to participate in this run. Hong Phat said: “I saw this event on Facebook and that I could contribute money to social activities, so I signed up to join. After this day, I will keep on running every day to get my ‘race’ to as many kilometers as possible.”
The run event ran from November to December 2022. Runners choose a running location for themselves, one that suits their individual circumstance. The only requirements were, a must complete a minimum of 12 days, with a total distance of at least 60 km.
The funds raised will be used for three primary purposes: firstly, to expand 30ha forest for a Gray-shanked Douc Langur population in Tam My Tay commune (Nui Thanh district, Quang Nam province); secondly, to plant 20,000 more trees in big cities, which will contribute to the “Million Trees in Cities (MTIC)” program; and to give 1,000 disadvantaged children a chance to experience an educational journey on the nature of Son Tra (Da Nang city).
The GreenRace Run program for students in Da Nang city in the school year 2022-2023 ws organized by the GreenViet Biodiversity Conservation Centre (GreenViet) and coordinated by the Vietnamese Student Association in Da Nang city.
The GreenRace 2022 is a real-life running race based on the UpRace model, belonging to the UpRace project developed by VNG company, in the fundraising campaign “For a Green Vietnam”. This fundraising campaign is a part of the Conservation Fund project by GreenViet (Vietnam) – the lead, and Gustav-Stresemann-Institut (GSI, Germany) and co-funded by the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam.
