A Salt Lake City air quality advocacy organization has the masterful fund-raising strategy of asking people to pay for participating in an endurance run up Malans Peak on 23-24 February 2024. For non-runners, this event could be described as “prolonged or heavy exertion” at a time of year when the air quality might be — shall I say — less than healthy.

You can decide for yourself the level of hypocrisy about that. Or if you can’t figure it out on your own, ask a respiratory tech, pulmonologist or someone with lung issues; you don’t have to go very far to find one.

Can we trust the organizers to recommend participants wear particulate masks if the AQI on those days is above, say, 80? Can we trust the organizers to cancel the event if the AQI on those days is above, say, 100? Oh, wait, I already know the answer to those questions. And how do they expect people to get to the event? Oh, wait, I know the answer to that one, too: “In their cars.” No one rides their bicycle to an endurance running event.

Martin Neunzert

Ogden

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