Runners Against Rubbish – the pioneering charity that combines fitness with cleaning up litter – has organised its most ambitious event yet.

The first 'Pick the Path' run will see runners collectively cover the entire 630-mile South West Coast Path between Minehead in Somerset and Poole Harbour in Dorset – the longest National Trail in the UK. 

Running in pairs, each duo will run one of the path's 34 legs, picking up rubbish as they go. Two bases will start simultaneously in Poole and Minehead, eventually meeting in the middle at Porthallow. The event takes place between 27-29 July. 

Runners Against Rubbish founder Stuart Walker told ConnectSport: "We are running the Pick The Path event for two reasons: one is that the South West Coast Path is one of the most popular walking and running areas in the country, and as such it suffers in parts with huge amounts of rubbish. 

"By choosing the SWCP we want to highlight the link between this and the huge problem of rubbish in the ocean, which even more people are now aware of following the BBC's Blue Planet II. Rubbish on land often ends up in the ocean where it does a huge amount of damage to fish and wildlife, and ultimately to ourselves. 

"The second reason is to raise the profile of our charity, so that we can connect with more members and get more and more people on board with our simple message: respect the environment you run in, never drop rubbish, and pick it up when you can. 

"We hope that by putting on a big event like this and picking up as much rubbish as we can, we will be able to get in touch with a wider audience." 

Runners against Rubbish are looking for people who would be happy running between 20 and 35km and picking up rubbish at the same time. A special pack is provided by inov-8 to collect rubbish in, and transport can be provided to and from your leg of the relay. 

For more information on the Pick The Path event click here or follow @runnersVrubbish on Twitter.