Maybe today isn’t the best day to go running, even if it is Global Running Day.
That’s because the air quality index in a large swath of the Northeastern U.S. has hit unsafe levels due to the plume of smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada. In fact, the air quality in New York City was the second-worst in the world on Wednesday morning as a result of the drifting wildfire smoke and air pollution. This has pushed some running groups to tell members to take a pause on the outdoor activity until the air quality improves.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams tweeted out an “Air-quality health advisory” for the Big Apple on Wednesday, warning of air quality “deteriorating across the five boroughs” and hitting the Environmental Protection Agency’s “very unhealthy” level of health concern.
Those with pre-existing respiratory problems (like heart or breathing issues) as well as children and older adults were advised to stay indoors, the statement said, since they are especially sensitive to the poor air conditions. Exposure to smoke-filled air could also lead to eye and throat irritation in otherwise healthy adults. Older New Yorkers, and those with heart or breathing problems, were also advised to wear a high-quality mask (like a KN95 or N95) if spending time outside.
Read more: New York City in 2nd place for worst air in the world right now
That led the New York Road Runners, which puts on the TCS New York City Marathon each year, to cancel all of its Global Running Day events on Wednesday. Even though Global Running Day is supposed to inspire people of all ages around the world to get moving by going outside and joining in group runs or perhaps hitting the road solo each year, NYRR urged runners in areas impacted by the smoke to go out on another day this time around.
“June 7 is Global Running Day, but if you’re in NYC or any affected area, please read and follow your city’s health advisory regarding air quality, and consider running another day,” the organization tweeted on Tuesday night.
It also added a banner to its homepage saying the same thing.
The Global Running Day website shared the same message on Wednesday morning: “The Wildfires in Canada have created poor air quality conditions in the New York City metropolitan area. If you’re in NYC or any affected area, please read and follow your city’s health advisory regarding air quality for June 6 and 7 and consider running another day.”
Fellow running club NYC Runs also tweeted for its members to “maybe spend today registering for your next race instead?”
While New York running clubs took the lead in canceling events on social media on Wednesday, several other U.S. cities were reporting smoky and hazy conditions from the wildfires.
Detroit was with New York in the top five cities with the worst air quality in the world, while Portland, ranked 83rd, and Seattle was 87th on Wednesday morning. And Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco were all in the top 100, bumped higher among the hundreds of polluted cities.
If you’re concerned about the air quality in your neck of the woods, visit the government-run Air Now site for the latest readings around the country. You can also look at longer-term air quality by select region.
And if you’ve got more questions about how dangerous the U.S. air is from Canada’s wildfires, or how to read the EPA’s Air-Quality Index, then click here.
More on MarketWatch:
Air quality worsens in U.S. as Canada faces toughest wildfire season on record
How dangerous is U.S. air from Canada’s wildfires? Here’s how to read the EPA’s Air-Quality Index.
