Samuel and Gudrun turn a running race into a ‘banana run’: “It seems small, but it makes a world of difference”

The two love a challenge, and therefore run the half marathon of Bashir’s Run in Gentbrugge in a banana suit together with 22 others from Fairtrade Belgium. With this they want to draw attention to the harsh reality behind the bananas on the store shelves. “Bananas are a regular snack for many athletes, but we rarely think about who grows them and under what conditions,” says Hespel.

World record

Farmers and workers often have to work under difficult conditions on banana plantations. “Low wages, unpaid overtime and exposure to dangerous pesticides are daily reality for many,” says Fairtrade Belgium.

The organization wants to change this by guaranteeing minimum prices and premiums, so that farmers and workers have better working conditions. This way they can also invest in more sustainable agricultural methods.

“Buying a fair trade banana seems like a small thing, but for the people on the plantations it means a world of difference,” says De Graef. “If we can tell that story while walking and with a wink, we would be happy to do so.”

Hespel even goes a step further, because she hopes to break a world record in her banana suit: that of ‘half marathon dressed in a piece of fruit’. Bashir’s Run in Gentbrugge will also become a ‘Banana Run’ on March 8.