Kiama will be represented in one of Australia’s most unique sporting events, Pledge for the Planet’s 48 Hour Mission, where sports achievement crosses paths with environmental action.

Instead of paying entry fees, this virtual competition has participants across Australia pledge to make environmental changes in their daily lives, then they run, ride, swim, or walk from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September to climb the leaderboard.

Local resident Amy Kline leads The Girls Run Club in both Gerringong and Berry, and is among over 30 teams signed up from NSW for the event trying to make a positive impact.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for the girls to see that their running could be part of something bigger and make an impact beyond our little community as well,” she said.

The 48 Hour Mission is now in its fifth year and it challenges participants to commit to environmental pledges such as reducing plastic consumption, ditching the takeaway cup, eating less meat, or using public transport more often.

Rather than individual pledges, Amy chose a collective approach for the club, their pledge focuses on recycling running shoes through a partnership with Shoes for Planet Earth, an organisation that distributes recycled shoes to local organisations.

“Any running shoes that they're no longer using that are in good condition, they've brought to the session,” said Amy.

“We've also had some members of the Kiama Run Club get on board with this as well, so they've donated some shoes too”.

The Girls Run Club runs weekly morning sessions before school in Gerringong on Tuesdays and Berry on Thursdays for girls aged between 10 to 18, and was established by Amy who is a qualified run coach. Amy started the club as a way to give back to the community and to help adolescent girls stay engaged with movement.

“I really want to provide a space where girls felt supported and encouraged to find a love of movement for how it feels in themselves rather than the results or the competition,” she said.

Amy encourages Kiama to get involved in the 48 Hour Mission and looks forward to seeing the event on a “bigger community scale”, people can join The Girls Run Club pledge or make their own pledge.

The 48 Hour Mission runs from 4pm 26 September to 4pm 28 September, more information about Pledge for the Planet can be found at their website www.pledgefortheplanet.org.

The Girls Run Club welcomes new members of any ability or pace level.