Jasmin Paris: Why I’ve signed the Fossil Free Declaration
Photo by Konrad Rawlik
Jasmin Paris MBE is a true ground breaker. In 2024, the British ultrarunner became the first ever woman to complete the Barkley Marathons, a gruelling race consisting of five 20 mile (32km) loops that has to be completed in under 60 hours. Jasmin finished with 99 seconds to spare.
When she isn’t running, Jasmin has been an active and outspoken advocate for the natural world, cofounding the Green Runners and driving action.
Jasmin Paris sat down with Cool Down to discuss why she has joined the Fossil Free Declaration.
Was there a particular moment where you became so acutely aware of the climate crisis? Or was it more of a growing realisation?
I've always felt at home in nature and loved wild places, and I remember even as a child worrying about the deforestation in the Amazon, so to some extent it's been a growing realisation. But there was definitely a moment, after my second child was born, when I became more acutely aware of the climate crisis. Having children helped me to see the world in a new light, not only did I rediscover the joy and wonders of the world around me, but I also developed a new sense of perspective and clarity, particularly regarding the importance of protecting our planet, and all living things on it.
What were your first forays into athlete activism? How did they come about?
To be honest, I'm still not sure I qualify as an athlete activist, but I am trying! In 2022 I helped to co-found a group called 'The Green Runners', a community of runners aiming to inform and empower the running community to put the planet first when making decisions, based on 4 key pillars; 'How you move, How you fuel, How you kit up, How you Speak Out'. That same year I chose to step away from running for a clothing/shoe company, and decided to represent The Green Runners as an athlete instead. Since then I've tried to race by example, demonstrating my commitment to travel to fewer events and in a more sustainable fashion, repairing and reusing kit, and speaking out about the good and bad directions our sport is taking.
How is your sport being impacted by the climate crisis? What frightens you the most about these changes?
As runners, we experience first hand the impacts of the climate crisis, from poor air quality in urban areas, to events cancelled by extreme weather events, be that heatwaves or landslides. Whilst I worry about the effects of these changes on my sport, I worry far more about what they herald for the planet and nature as a whole.
Jasmin and her dog Moss training for the Barkley Marathons
Why do you think sport should cut ties with high-carbon industries like fossil fuels?
Sport has an incredible capacity to do good, it unites people in a common joy regardless of background, in a way that very few things can. It makes me really angry, and also sad, that high carbon industries are exploiting the positivity of sport, and using it to their own dirty advantage.
In your mind, what does fossil free sport look like?
In my mind, fossil free sport is one in which we use the positive power of sport to unite people in the fight against climate change. For that to work, there needs to be a zero tolerance policy for high carbon sponsorship in sport.
How do you think we bring this future into existence?
As athletes, spectators, and citizens, we are the ones with the power to determine the direction that our sport takes. We need to act collaboratively, and invest our efforts and finances into events that align with a fossil free sporting future. As runners, we can start by supporting events that don't use high carbon sponsors, and calling out events that do. By discussing our decision-making openly, we can collaboratively drive the decisions that race organisers make, and simultaneously educate our community further about fossil free sport.
If you had a message for other athletes in your sport, what would it be?
This is our sport, and our future. Let's seize this moment to rid ourselves of fossil fuel sponsorship, and harness the power of sport to do good.