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COLLECTING
ACTS OF KINDNESS
WHILE
COLLECTING TRASH

AUG07 | SEP15

aug 07 | sep 15

picking up trash

2026km

40 DAYS

40 ultras

in a banana suit

InShot_20250509_220729064_edited.jpg

for acts of kindness

Why am I doing this?

I want to inspire you to make a simple promise.

A promise that is an act of kindness 

For people or the planet.

The promise can be anything you choose

​​

That's it! I am not asking for money or anything else.

I just want us to flood the world with simple positive actions.

The world needs it right now, more than ever

In this image are two acts of kindness.. The photo was taken by Mari Durieux - an incredible photographer - he gifted some photos for me that have become some of my most used images And the runner is Joost. He didn't know me at all but just offered his home to me for a night on the one day I couldn't find accommodation during last year's adventure. He even put up with me calling Hugo all the time by mistake haha Two wonderful people Two simple acts of kindness

Why not do it for a charity?

Because I want this to be something that we all can participate in.

​​An act of kindness doesn't have to cost you anything, but it can mean everything to the recipient

Why a banana suit?

Hahaha.. for attention! It is as simple as that!

When you pick up a piece of trash, you make an impact.

But when someone sees you doing it, you can make a difference!

Learn about my banana suits here

FOLLOW ALONG

Socials

Instagram is my main platform - LOTS of content and updates

Daily posts on YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok

Following me on the socials is the biggest way you can help me continue to do what I do

Live Tracking

You will be able to track my runs LIVE! here.. live.garmin.com/wayeoflife

Daily Livestreams!

Just like last year, I will do a daily livestream (at 8pm each evening) - with some guests!

It will stream on Instagram and I think also YouTube/Facebook/LinkedIn - I have upgraded the set up!

the days

Over the coming days there will be lots of updates - including sponsor updates - with more detail added to each day.

Note: A couple of the day locations may change (just discussing with sponsors), so check back regularly

For the 'no detail' Haarlem days I will be planning some long runs to places within 20km of Haarlem - let me know if you have an idea for a specific day

The idea is to have a couple of set location points/times.. and at anytime you can see my location via the tracker.

Fri 7th Aug

Haarlem / Santpoort

7:15 Kick-off with Haarlem Hobblers (at Westhoff)

8:00 Coffee with Westhoff

The rest of the day I will be heading to Santpoort for their festival and back to Haarlem

Sat 8th Aug

Haarlem / Santpoort

9:00 Schoterbos Parkrun

11:00 Plog-X

The rest of the day I will be heading to Santpoort for their festival and back to Haarlem

Sun 9th Aug

Haarlem

I think I am going to head off to Zandvoort - hopefully lots of beach crowd

So looping around Haarlem > Bloemendaal aan Zee > Zandvoort > Bentveld > Haarlem

Mon 10th Aug

Haarlem / Amsterdam

Day Sponsor: AAVALABS

They will also be joining me on the livestream!

TUE 11th aug

Haarlem

.

wed 12th aug

Amsterdam

Day Sponsor: VERPACT

Huge day in Amstedam.. route
 

  • Centraal Station

  • IJplein

  • Johan van Hasseltweg

  • Rembrandtplein

  • Burgemeester Röellstraat (12:30)

  • Osdorpplein (13:00)

  • Vondelpark

  • Leidsebosje

  • Venserpolder

  • Oostpoort

  • Zeeburgereiland Skate Park

  • Centraal Station

thu 13th aug

Utrecht

Day Sponsor: LEKKER

Funday in Utrecht

fri 14th aug

Haarlem

Making sure I run around https://haarlem.live/

But I will also pop by the EcoFest in Schalkwijk - great festival ecoring.nl/ecofest-2026

sat 15th aug

Amsterdam / Haarlem

10:00 Klabu social run

12:00 Running back to Haarlem and then make most of EcoFest in Schalkwijk - great festival ecoring.nl/ecofest-2026

sun 16th aug

Haarlem / Zandvoort

First up Haarlem (it is the day after https://haarlem.live/
Then a loop to Zandvoort and back and rest of afternoon in Haarlem 

mon 17th aug

Haarlem

Livestream guest - De Bries (they have supplied grabbers for me)

tue 18th aug

Velserbroek

.

wed 19th aug

tbd

.

thu 20th aug

Amsterdam

Three days based at the TRAIL.NL store

Join me for a plog - starting and finishing at their store (bag drop etc)

Provisional start/duration times

10:30 (6km/1hr)

12:00 (6km/1hr)

13:30 (20km-ish/2.5hr)

16:30 (6km/1hr)

fri 21st aug

Amsterdam

Three days based at the TRAIL.NL store

Join me for a plog - starting and finishing at their store (bag drop etc)

Provisional start/duration times

10:30 (6km/1hr)

12:00 (6km/1hr)

13:30 (20km-ish/2.5hr)

16:30 (6km/1hr)

sat 22nd aug

Amsterdam

Three days based at the TRAIL.NL store

Join me for a plog - starting and finishing at their store (bag drop etc)

Provisional start/duration times

10:30 (6km/1hr)

12:00 (6km/1hr)

13:30 (20km-ish/2.5hr)

16:30 (6km/1hr)

sun 23rd aug

Haarlem

.

mon 24th aug

Haarlem

.

tue 25th aug

Haarlem

.

wed 26th aug

Haarlem

.

thu 27th aug

Velserbroek

.

fri 28th aug

Haarlem

.

Sat 29th Aug

Haarlem

Sun 30th Aug

Haarlem

.

mon 31st aug

Haarlem

.

tue 1st sep

Haarlem

Want to visit MAAK as they have an anniversary event - but potentially shifting to a new sponsor event

.

wed 2nd sep

Haarlem

Day Sponsor: BLACKROLL

Potentially shifting dates based on discussion with their creators (got some fun content planned and I will have my recovery boots for you to try out

thu 3rd sep

Rotterdam

Day Sponsor: VERPACT

Huge day in Rotterdam.. details coming!

fri 4th sep

Weesp

Day Sponsor: CIRCULR. / ClubHub

.

sat 5th sep

Utrecht

Day Sponsor: VERPACT

In and around the hotspots of Utrecht

sun 6th sep

Tilburg

Day Sponsor: JUST MOVE FESTIVAL

11:00 Spoorpark - I will be joining them for the opening and frequently coming back to visit them

mon 7th sep

Deventer

It is Verspillingsvrije Week. With TooGoodToGo, I will be visiting places that work with TooGoodToGo. And then a fun livestream  in the evening

tue 8th sep

Utrecht

It is Verspillingsvrije Week. With TooGoodToGo, I will be visiting places that work with TooGoodToGo. And then a fun livestream  in the evening and popping along to NoWaste Army who are at the station between track 18-19

wed 9th sep

Amstelveen

Day Sponsor: Amolé financial Services

Amole supported me last year on the 31 marathons.. it is time I visit their offices in Amstelveen! They have a strong sustainability/environmental focus.

thu 10th sep

Haarlem

A breather around Haarlem before the last push to the finishline happens

fri 11th sep

Leiden

It is Verspillingsvrije Week. With TooGoodToGo, I will be visiting places that work with TooGoodToGo. And then a fun livestream  in the evening

sat 12th sep

Haarlem

It is Verspillingsvrije Week so will be visiting some places that work with TooGoodToGo - and I might pop along the Parkrun in Schoterbos and RunX in Haarlem

tue 15th sep

Haarlem

THE LAST DAY

I will run the loop Heemstede, Zandvoort, Bloemendaal aan Zee, Haarlem I like to do and then spend the rest of the day around Haarlem itself

sun 13th sep

Wageningen 

It is Verspillingsvrije Week. With TooGoodToGo, I will be visiting places that work with TooGoodToGo. And then a fun livestream  in the evening

mon 14th sep

Den Haag

Day Sponsor: VERPACT

In and around the hotspots of Den Haag

But the most fun is when you join in...

InShot_20250509_220705763_edited.jpg

join in

Make a Promise

Pledge to an act of kindness

When you make a simple promise (big or small) you become a part of the adventure..

Run with me!

The routes are not complex.

Look at the calendar and it will give you a location for the day places where I will be at certain times. No need to register.. Just surprise me!

 

You will be able to see exactly where I am using the tracker.

 

Just pop by to say hi, or actually join me for as long as you want - chilled pace (~8min/km). I even have spare grabbers for you.

 

Bring your camera and share the story!!

12 Steden Plog - sponsors.jpg

your promises

Here you can make your pledge

"I promise to..." - what that promise exactly is, or for how long, is up to you.

But it needs to be an Act of Kindness to others or the planet.

You can also celebrate Acts of Kindness that you have witness or received.

All of these, whether given or received, can inspire others. 

Maybe your Act of Kindness could inspire someone to doing the same thing

Here are a few examples

I promise to

  • pick up a piece of trash during each day of Paul's adventure

  • say thank-you to the bus driver when I get off the bus

  • smile at the supermarket staff

​​

The promise I made 15 years ago was to pick up some trash every time I ran to the train station.

It was the start of my way(e) of life!

Please respect the intent of this section; it is meant as a place to celebrate acts of kindness.
Comments or post that are not fitting in to the purpose and positive mission of this adventure will be removed.

VIDEO PROMISE

I would also love for you to record a video of you saying your promise.

Just look into the camera and say "My promise is..." or "mijn belofte is..."

Put it as an instagram story and tag me (tagging me is the best way) - I will feature my favourite videos each day

Promises (32)
Norbert
Sep 05

I promise that I will stand up for democracy. For freedom, justice and equality. We are all the same! True to the sentence of Margott Friedländer: Be people.

I promise to work for environmental protection and to go again and again to leave our children a better world


Kerstin
Sep 04

I promise that, for every day of my life that remains, I will stand up for justice and use my voice responsibly! 🤝💕

We are all equal, regardless of our cultural background, regardless of whether we conform to social norms. 🦽🧑‍🦽🧑‍🦽‍➡️👩‍🦼

We are all human beings❣️🤗

And, of course, I will continue to channel positive energy into my voluntary work: recognising and honouring the needs of our all Mom Earth, and, naturally, getting personally involved at the hospice by welcoming the guests and helping to prepare dinner for them. 💜

.

Thank you, Paul, for letting me share in your unique adventures and for inspiring me! 🫂


Lucas Schroder
Aug 13

Pick up

Litter whenever I see it on my way walking and biking


Roger
Aug 10

I promise I'll do you a video with this: I promise to bring my own cup with me when getting coffee from on-street coffee vendors. One less disposable cup in the world.


Philip
Aug 10

I promise to be more proactive and open in sharing ideas and collaborating with people to preserve our livable planet in my work and free time.


Amy
Aug 10

I will pick up trash every day for the rest of the year. I will make eye contact and smile to people all around me.


Luke MacDonald
Aug 09

I promise to continue to reduce community stress through random and planned acts of kindness, movement and fun.

Smell the pretty flowers Eastern Passage Moose!
Smell the pretty flowers Eastern Passage Moose!


Margon
Aug 08

I promise to continu picking up litter and show/teach my 3 year old such a small gesture is really making a difference. I also promise to show him how being kind to others can change their mood/day.


Ken
Aug 07

I promise to support you in every crazy adventure as we need not to be like you (full on crazy) but to act like you.

Each item picked up a day by all of us would make a huge difference . Dare to speak up and act when you see someone throwing something on the street.



wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 08
Replying to

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻


Marjolein
Aug 06

I promise to keep running mindfully and with kindness toward myself and use it as motivation for recovery.

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 08
Replying to

Perfect


Edwin
Aug 06

I Promise to think about Poor Paul every day on this crazy challenge! And next to that I will promote his socials as wide as possible ...

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 08
Replying to

Thank you💚💚


Laurens the hobbler
Aug 05

I promise to pick up trash at least once a week.

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 08
Replying to

Perfect


Chris
Aug 03

Ik beloof dat ik mijn hart geopend blijf houden tijdns Paul zijn tocht zodat de horizon der schoonheid zich blijft ontvouwen.


I promise to keep my heart open during Paul’s journey, so that the horizon of beauty continues to unfold.

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 03
Replying to

Wow


Pela
Aug 03

I promise to never stop pointing out the people doing extraordinary good in the world, like Paul, to anyone who is losing their faith in humanity.

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 03
Replying to

🙏🏻


Deniz
Aug 03

I promise to support local businesses by leaving positive reviews, and to support small business owners, entrepreneurs, and content creators by engaging with and sharing their work whenever I can.

wayeoflife
wayeoflife
Admin
Aug 03
Replying to

Omg.. love this

SPONSORS

I only able to do adventures like this through the support of my sponsors

They are the ones who are making it possible for me to make an impact. I am so grateful for their partnership

I had a few specific sponsors helping me for this adventure, which is why I want to call them all out here

Head Sponsor

Sponsors

Supporting brands

Providing equipment and support

Management / Partners

Making me professional - my own Jerry Maguires!

Centrista

Gert-Jan Stevens

 welkom@centrista.nl

Eyesprint

Maurits Van Slingerland

maurits@eye-sprint.com

LET's flood the world with positive stories

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